The grain deal can continue without Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed, on Monday, that he had sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, asking them to continue working withGrain export agreement across the Black Sea.

In his videotaped nightly speech, Zelensky added that the grain initiative could remain valid without Moscow’s participation.

He also confirmed that about 33 million tons of Ukrainian agricultural products were exported to 45 countries under the agreement concluded by Ukraine and Russia in July 2022, mediated by Turkey and the United Nations.

For its part, Moscow announced on Monday that the agreement had ended “de facto”, hours after a night attack by the Ukrainian army with drones on the Crimean bridge.

Russia criticizes the sanctions

Russia criticizes the obstacles to its exports of foodstuffs and fertilizers under the sanctions. It also accuses rich countries of benefiting from the bulk of Ukraine’s grain exports, which are supposed to be destined for developing countries.

On the contrary, Volodymyr Zelensky asserted that “60% of the quantities” exported went to Africa and Asia.

UN figures show that the three main countries that have benefited from Ukrainian exports across the Black Sea are China, Spain and Turkey.