The Ukrainian government on Friday called on Russia to extend the agreement for grain exports from Ukrainian ports and asked Moscow to «stop playing hunger games with everyone».
«The first thing we ask is that Russia stick to this agreement and stop playing hunger games with everyone for its own pleasure,» Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dimitro Kuleba said, Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reported.
He also stressed that «Russia must stop slowing down the processes within the framework of the grain agreement regarding the inspection of ships,» before denouncing that the temporary suspension of the agreement in November was «silent sabotage» by Moscow.
«It is not enough to leave Russia in the grain corridor, it is necessary to act so that it puts an end to the silent sabotage of this initiative from within itself,» Kuleba pointed out, a few days before the expiration of the agreement, reached with mediation by Turkey and the United Nations.
Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 after mediation by Turkey and the United Nations to unblock the export of grain and fertilizers, a pact that was briefly interrupted by Moscow’s accusations against Kiev for alleged threats to the security of the corridor.
Finally, Russia announced its return to the agreement after citing Ukrainian «guarantees», which Kiev dismissed, although contacts are still underway to try to achieve an extension of the agreement, given that it expires on November 19, in the midst of the food and energy crisis due to the war.
