Ukraine ready to start exporting grain from Odesa port, waiting for signals from partners to start transportation - Zelensky

MOSCOW. July 29 (Interfax) - Ukraine stands ready to resume exports of its grain and is waiting for signals from its partners to start transportation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

"We are ready to export Ukrainian grain. Waiting for signals from our partners on starting transportation," Ukrainian media have quoted Zelensky as saying on social media.

Ukrainian media reported with reference to the presidential website on Friday that Zelensky was shown the loading of Ukrainian grain onto a vessel for export at the Chornomorsk (formerly known as Illichivsk) commercial seaport during a working trip to the Odesa region.

"The first ship is being loaded. This is a Turkish vessel. This is an indication that the port has started working," Zelensky said.

Grain exports will begin with the departure of several ships, which were loaded but were unable to depart because of the crisis, he said.

Ukraine expects a signal from its UN and Turkish partners to start transporting grain, which could happen within the next few days.

"We are fully ready. We have sent all signals to our partners, the UN and Turkey, and our military guarantees security situation. The infrastructure minister is directly in touch with the Turkish side and the UN, and we're expecting a signal from them that we can start," he said.

Zelensky said he was confident that unblocking Ukrainian grain exports would help avoid food shortages, starvation, and political chaos in countries depending on food imports.

"It is important for us to make sure that Ukraine remains a guarantor of global food security," he said.

Along with Zelensky, a number of diplomats also watched the process of loading grain at the port. These included Ambassador Bridget Brink of the United States, Ambassador Melinda Simmons of the United Kingdom, Ambassador Pier Francesco Zazo of Italy, Ambassador Larisa Galadza of Canada, Ambassador Anka Feldhusen of Germany, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Remi Duflot, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Osnat Lubrani, and others.

Zelensky also met with members of the diplomatic corps to discuss grain exports and international support for Ukraine.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, presented some details. "There are 17 vessels with nearly 600,000 tonnes of cargo at the ports. Sixteen of these vessels carry Ukrainian grain weighing in total about 580,000 tonnes, which will depart for destination ports in the near future," Ukrainian media quoted Tymoshenko as saying on social networks.