Lavrov: Russia is ready to guarantee safety of Ukrainian grain exports
Russia is ready to provide security guarantees for ships that are blocked in Ukrainian ports.
"The main thing is that this should be ensured either by demining or by the organization of free passages. As for international waters, Russia guarantees the safety of these vessels up to the Bosphorus Strait, and we have an understanding with Turkey on this subject," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Earlier, Turkey explained that the consent of the Ukrainian and Russian sides is needed in order to start the work of the coordination center for unblocking the export of grain from the Ukrainian ports. Turkey is negotiating with both countries.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been blocking Ukrainian ports and preventing the export of grain. Ukraine has been running out of storage space for the new crops. If the export of Ukraine does not resume, some of the grain may be lost.
At the same time, according to the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine needs to receive guarantees from the UN and third countries for the export of grain from its ports. According to Kyiv, the Kremlin's guarantees alone are not enough.