Port cranes in the seaport in Mariupol. File photoMOSCOW, May 30.First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Taras Vysotsky threatened to unblock ports in Ukraine by military means. Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia does not interfere with Ukraine's grain exports, logistical problems arose through the fault of Kyiv, his troops mined their seaports. The Foreign Ministry added that «the talk about Russia's allegedly blocking the export of Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea ports and the resulting deficit in the grain market is nothing but speculation.» A former employee of the Odessa sea harbor told RIA Novosti that Ukraine is exporting wheat reserves from storage facilities in the port of Odessa by alternative routes under pressure from the European Union, despite the threat of a grain shortage in the country itself.
The United States announced that a new aid package to Ukraine will help open the port of OdessaAccording to Vysotsky, there are several ways to ensure the export of grain through the ports that are currently blocked, in several ways: by organizing military convoys and by military means.
&# 34;Or providing Ukraine with a sufficient number of anti-ship weapons that can be deployed with us and guarantee the cut-off of the Russian navy", Vysotsky said on the air of the ICTV channel.
Earlier, the Wall Street Journal, citing diplomatic sources, reported that UN Secretary General António Guterres is asking Moscow not to interfere with the exit of grain cargoes from the Black Sea ports of Ukraine, and in return promises to facilitate the easing of sanctions against fertilizers from Russia and Belarus. The newspaper writes that Turkey expressed its readiness to participate in the agreements, including taking on the task of searching for and neutralizing sea mines and managing ships with grain. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the idea of easing restrictions on the export of fertilizers from Russia for the passage of ships with grain from Ukraine, recalled that the ports there are mined, which is dangerous for shipping. Peskov also confirmed that this was discussed at Putin's recent meeting with Guterres, who raised the issue that direct and indirect restrictions imposed on suppliers of Russian fertilizers are fraught with great dangers for world food security. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov previously said that Ukraine continues to block foreign ships, creating a threat of shelling in its internal waters and territorial sea. According to him, Russia, for its part, is taking measures to ensure civil navigation in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, a humanitarian corridor is opened daily, which is a safe lane for ships.
Ukraine blocked 21 Turkish ships in the port of Odessa, media reported