Zelensky says Guterres and he agreed to continue food exports via Black Sea

MOSCOW. July 18 (Interfax) - Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has said that he spoke to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the phone and reached an agreement on steps to continue food deliveries via the Black Sea.

"The Black Sea Grain Initiative must be preserved. We agreed with Mr. Guterres to work together to restore food security and food supply via the Black Sea routes," Ukrainian media outlets quoted Zelensky as saying in a statement on social media on Monday evening.

Zelensky said in a video address the same day that he had forwarded official letters to Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a proposal "to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative or a similar arrangement in the trilateral format."

"Ukraine, the UN and Turkey can jointly ensure the operation of the food corridor and the inspection of vessels. Everyone in the world needs that," he said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian media outlets said, citing Zelensky's press secretary Sergei Nikiforov, that the Ukrainian president said in an interview with African journalists on Monday that ship-owning companies had notified the Ukrainian side of their readiness to continue grain exports from Ukrainian ports even despite the termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

"We have been approached by ship-owning companies. They said that if Ukraine lets out [vessels] and if Turkey lets them through, all of them are ready to continue grain deliveries," Zelensky said.

Zelensky said that he has instructed the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to prepare official signals to the UN and Turkey so that they respond that they are ready to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Monday that Russia had sent its official objections to extending the Black Sea grain deal to Ankara, Kiev and the UN.

"Russia today officially notified the Turkish and Ukrainian sides, as well as the UN Secretariat, of its objection to extending the deal," Zakharova told reporters. The reason is failure to honor the pledges given to Russia.

Moscow also said that it will be ready to rejoin the Istanbul agreements, known as the Black Sea grain deal, when and if these commitments start to be fulfilled.