Russia withdrew from grain deal to raise prices for its grain - Kuleba
According to Ukrinform's own correspondent in New York, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said this when answering questions from journalists at the UN headquarters.
"The Russians want to make money on this to finance their military machine and put something in their pockets for a yacht. This is one hundred percent true as we see that while they are blocking the Black Sea corridor, Russian grain ships are sailing at full capacity from Russia through the Black Sea to other markets," he emphasized.
In his words, Russia is always bargaining for two things, money and territory, "hucksters are sitting in the Kremlin and fighting for every penny."
Ukraine is aware of Russia's attempts to reach alternative arrangements for humanitarian grain supplies to show that it can be done without Ukraine, he explained.
"We know the content of this initiative, we know which countries they have offered it to," Kuleba said, noting that if it is implemented, it will mean that they will participate in Russia's fraudulent scheme. We are working to prevent this from happening, he said.
According to Kuleba, if there is political will to ensure the supply of Ukrainian grain to world markets, there must be a way to do so. If Russia refuses to comply with the agreement, Ukraine, Türkiye, and the UN or any other country or group of countries "could come up with their own initiative (to continue the existing or create a new supply model)," he said.
He stated that the issue of security, to prevent Russia from attacking the ship carrying grain, is being discussed in various capitals and at the UN headquarters. "Now there are very active discussions, including during my numerous bilateral meetings, meetings that I hold here to find a way out," the minister emphasized.
"This is a difficult situation. We have to take risks somewhere. But we must demonstrate that we can continue to live without Russia," he added.
He characterized Russia’s behavior as simple blackmail. Moscow has blocked Ukraine's ports, exposed the world to the risk of a global food crisis, and if it "gets away with some of its crimes," it will be ready to "lift some restrictions."
At the same time, Kuleba warned against fulfilling Russia's demands. "Moscow will extend the initiative for one month, and in another month, it will put forward another list of demands. This is called blackmail, and blackmail cannot be tolerated," the minister stressed.
As reported, Dmytro Kuleba is on a working visit to New York, where he arrived to participate in a meeting of the UN Security Council and in an open debate of the UN General Assembly on the situation in Ukraine.
On Monday, Russia announced that it had withdrawn from the Black Sea grain deal.
