Zelensky discussed with Macron an alternative corridor for grain in the Black Sea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he had discussed with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron “ways to ensure the functioning” of the grain export corridor created by Kiev in the Black Sea to ensure safe navigation.

“We discussed ways to keep the grain corridor functioning and strengthen the security of the Odessa region,” Zelensky said on X, previously Twitter, after a phone call with Macron.

The dialogue between the heads of the two states took place on the eve of a meeting in Russia between Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wants to renew the grain agreement.

Erdogan is scheduled to meet with Putin on Monday in Sochi, a Russian resort town on the Black Sea.

Russian troops returned last night to bomb the Odessa region with drones.

Ukraine said this week that four more ships passed through its maritime corridor temporarily set up last month as an alternative to Moscow’s July suspension of participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which also included Kiev, Ankara and the United Nations.

This agreement allowed maritime traffic from the southern ports of Ukraine, which were blocked by the Russian fleet in the region.

At a time when it suspended its participation in the agreement, Moscow admitted that it would return to mutual understanding if it considered reintegrating its agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank into the SWIFT international banking system, lifting sanctions on spare parts for agricultural equipment, unlocking transport and insurance logistics, and unfreezing assets.

The Russian side also demanded to restart the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline for the export of ammonia, the most important component of fertilizers.

Ukraine and Russia are among the largest grain producers in the world, and global supplies were severely affected by the war between the two countries in February last year, which affected food security in the most vulnerable countries and led to an escalation in commodity prices.

In a Sunday phone call, Zelenskiy also thanked Macron for France’s “important military assistance” to his country and said the two rulers “discussed the next steps” to be taken on the matter.

The Russian military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 in Ukraine has caused, according to the latest UN data, the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).

The Russian invasion, justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for the sake of Russia’s security, was condemned by the international community as a whole, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing political and political forces on Russia. economic sanctions.