The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine accused Russia of actions that led to the delay in the operation of the grain corridor through the Black Sea. This is stated in the statement of the Ukrainian Ministry published on Monday.
The department noted that since October 14, Russian inspectors of the Istanbul Joint Coordination Center have significantly extended the inspection of ships that are heading to the ports of Ukraine to load grain or are already loaded and heading to their final destination.
As a result, more than 165 ships are stuck in the queue near the Bosphorus, and this number continues to grow every day, the department emphasized.
"We have reason to believe that Russia's delay in inspecting the courts of the grain initiative is politically motivated. Recently, the Russian leadership tried without legal grounds to question the grain corridor, demanding new advantages with Moscow's consent to extend the agreement," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It is noted that Russia's actions undermine global food security, in particular, in the Global South. Inspection delays have already prevented Ukraine from exporting an additional 3 million tons of grain - 10 million people around the world did not receive food on time due to Russia's political agenda.
"We call on the international community, in particular the African and Asian countries that rely on grain exports from Ukraine, to demand that Russia immediately stop these artificial delays in inspecting grain corridor vessels. We must not allow the Kremlin to hold millions of people hostage to its hunger games," the statement said. messages in the application.
Ukraine also appealed to the Secretariat of the Joint Coordination Center with a request to urgently resolve the procrastination on the part of Russia, in particular by increasing the number of inspectors in the Bosphorus Strait.