Russia and Turkey hold talks as UN criticizes Moscow for ripping up grain deal

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Russia confirms that it suspends the movement of ships along the grain corridor

31 (EUROPE PRESS)

The Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, has emphasized in a call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, the importance of maintaining the cereal agreement while the United Nations questions Moscow for breaking the pact and the Russian side decides to suspend the movement of ships along the security corridor.

Akar stated during the conversation with Shoigu that he hopes Moscow will reevaluate its decision, while stressing that Turkey will continue to work to guarantee peace in the region and humanitarian aid at all levels, according to the Anatolia news agency. .

On the sidelines of this call, the UN Assistant Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, has questioned the reasons given by Moscow for suspending the grain agreement with Ukraine, which is mediated by the UN and the Turkish side.

“When the ships of the Initiative are not in the area, the corridor does not have a special status,” he specified during a meeting of the UN Security Council, adding that there is “no cover or protection” in the face of “military actions.” both offensive and defensive”, as collected by DPA.

Griffiths was referring to the agreement reached between Ankara and kyiv, without Russia, but with the mediation of the United Nations, whereby twelve ships will leave Ukrainian ports with cereals on board, while another four will go to the country.

“Confirmed commitment to the grain. We are ready to continue to be guarantors of world food security. (I have) reported on the consequences of missile terrorism and nuclear blackmail by Russia. The reaction of the world and the United Nations must be It lasts!”, The Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelenski, has specified on his Twitter profile after speaking with the UN Secretary General, António Guterres.

In this sense, the authorities of both countries have clarified this Monday that there are already six ships sailing in the area, although they have not yet entered the humanitarian corridor. There are currently 21 ships waiting for the go-ahead to transport some 700,000 tons of grain from Ukraine.

After that, Russia has decided to suspend the movement of ships along the security corridor defined by the Black Sea Initiative until Ukraine clarifies the attack “against warships and civilian ships in Sevastopol.”

“The movement of vessels along the security corridor is unacceptable, since the Ukrainian leadership and the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine use it to carry out military operations against the Russian Federation,” reads the statement, collected by the news agency. TASS news.

From the Russian Ministry of Defense they have defended that “it is impossible to guarantee the security of any object in the grain corridor until kyiv stops using it for military purposes.” Moscow has made it clear that Russia has not decided to withdraw from the Black Sea Initiative, but only to suspend the agreements.