Shmyhal: Ukraine exported more than 33M tonnes of grain to 45 countries over year of grain deal

Over almost a year of the grain deal operation, Ukraine exported more than 33 million tonnes of grain to 45 countries.

"Since the first days of the full-scale war, Russia has been blocking Ukrainian Black Sea ports. Thanks to a tripartite agreement with Türkiye and the UN, the grain initiative operated for almost a year. During this period, Ukraine managed to export more than 33 million tonnes of agricultural products to 45 countries," Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said at the Cabinet’s meeting, Ukrinform reports.

The Prime Minister emphasized that in order to prevent a new food crisis, which Russia tries to provoke by disrupting the grain agreement, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky already sent official letters to the President of Türkiye and the UN Secretary-General.

"We propose to continue the operation of the grain initiative in a tripartite format. This will save millions of people from hunger and ensure global food security," the Head of Government said.

As reported, Russia announced the termination of the extension of the grain deal which was concluded on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul for 120 days and was extended several times.

Zelensky officially called on President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres to continue the operation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative or its analog in a unilateral format without Russia.