The departure of a grain cargo from Ukraine on Monday was hailed by the European Union and NATO as a “first step” in resolving the food crisis brought on by the Russian invasion.
Peter Stano, the spokesman for the EU, however, stated that Brussels continues to expect “the implementation of the complete deal and restart of Ukrainian exports to the clients across the world.”
Separately, Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, declared that the west’s allies “fully support the full implementation of the pact to address the global food crisis brought on by Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
The Razoni, a cargo ship registered in Sierra Leone, had earlier sailed from the Ukrainian port of Odessa towards Lebanon with a crucial load of 26,000 tonnes of grain.
It was the first ship to leave a Ukrainian port following the signing by Moscow and Kyiv of a deal to allow food shipments despite their conflict, which was mediated by Turkey and the UN.
Speaking to the EU foreign service, Stano said that Russia had been obstructing the supplies “for months” and mentioned that on the day the agreement was signed, Russia had launched missiles towards the port of Odessa.
He attributed “the unjustified Russian invasion on February 24 and the blockade of Ukrainian ports and grain shipments” as the cause of the food shortages plaguing areas of the Middle East and Africa.
Following their invasion of Ukraine in February, Russian soldiers have taken control of or blasted a number of its ports, some of which Ukrainian defenders have since mined to defend themselves.
According to the agreement agreed in Istanbul on July 22, Ukraine is supposed to remove the mines and Russia is supposed to release its blockade. However, shipments have been delayed to resume and combat on land has persisted.
Additionally, Stano claims that Russia is “damaging the farms in Ukraine, wrecking the silos in Ukraine, burning the grain or looting and trying to sell it for Russia.”
