Prolonging Russia’s war against Ukraine is a challenge not only for Kyiv, but also for Russia’s economy and the entire world, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, citing the example of the Black Sea food corridor.
The head of state said this during an online discussion at the YES conference, LB.ua reports.
“Prolonging the war is already a challenge today not only for Ukraine, but a challenge for Russia’s economy, a challenge for everyone in the world,” Zelenskyy said.
According to the President, the Black Sea food security corridor is now effectively blocked from both the Ukrainian and Russian sides.
Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine is looking for alternative ways for ships to reach its ports and to export goods — not only grain.
The President said he had discussed ways to resolve this problem with the leadership of Egypt, India, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, while also noting that Russia is holding talks with the same countries, as the situation is a challenge for it as well.
“Ukraine has learned to find ways to respond with dignity to Russian strikes,” Zelenskyy added.
The head of state stressed that even in the event of a complete export blockade, “Ukrainians will not be left without food” — products would become cheaper on the domestic market, and exporting would become unprofitable due to expensive logistics.
According to the President, Ukrainian farmers and businesses would be the first to suffer as a result.
At the same time, he said, the situation would be far worse for countries that would have access to neither Ukrainian nor Russian grain — in particular, states in Africa and Asia. “Many peoples will have nothing to eat, even if they have money,” Zelenskyy said.
The President emphasised that food and energy security are challenges not only for Ukraine.
“Agriculture and energy are the two challenges for the whole world today,” he said, adding that even without full peace it is possible to take decisions on an “energy truce” or on unblocking the food corridor.
- During this summer alone, Russia attacked more than 50 civilian vessels, killing almost 30 people, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
- Black Sea ports account for about 90% of Ukraine’s exports of grain and oilseeds, and alternative routes cannot make up for these volumes. Attacks on cargo ships have already disrupted international supplies and raised concerns among importing countries.