“It doesn’t take us in the right direction”

July 21 () –

The spokesman for the UN General Secretariat, Stéphane Dujarric, has expressed his concern about the continuous attacks by the Russian Army against Odessa and about the decision by both Russia and Ukraine to consider any ship in the Black Sea as transporting military load.

“Obviously we are concerned about this situation. All this is not taking us in the right direction. What is happening there is also having a negative effect on the prices of wheat, corn…”, the spokesman declared during a conference press.

“We have seen the fluctuations in prices. They go up and they go down. That is not good for the market, and what is not good for the market is bad for people in a vulnerable situation, who cannot afford food, who cannot afford the food hikes.Most of it is in the Global South.

Shortly before, the Secretary General, António Guterres, condemned in a statement the Russian attacks on port facilities in the city of Odesa and other Ukrainian ports on the shores of the Black Sea, criticizing that these offensives contradict the pact agreed between the UN and Russia by the which Moscow pledges to “facilitate the unhindered export of food, sunflower oil, and fertilizers from Ukrainian-controlled Black Sea ports.”

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on Thursday that as of this Friday, July 21, all ships sailing in the Black Sea towards Russian ports and Ukrainians located in the occupied territories will be considered as transport. military cargo.

Ukraine’s decision comes as a consequence of a similar decision taken by Russia a day earlier after its recent withdrawal from the grain export agreement, after its refusal to agree to a new extension due to alleged breaches of it by the Ukrainian party.