Russia can block the “grain corridor” after May 18 – the Ambassador
Russia may block the “grain corridor” after May 18. Then 60 days will pass from the moment the initiative was renewed in March.
Despite the fact that the “grain agreement” is usually extended for 120 days, in March russia began to insist that it had agreed to extend it for only 60 days.
Therefore, Ukraine should already prepare alternative options for grain export, in case the “grain corridor” is blocked after May 18. This was stated by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, during the “Grain Agreement” briefing : how does the mechanism currently work? in the Ukraine Media Center.
The ambassador noted that none of the mediators in the “grain agreement” supports russia’s actions, but it is difficult to predict what their next steps will be if russia really sabotages the initiative after May 18.
“Let’s take into account the internal situation in Turkey, as well as how much the UN will be able to “press” on the russian side to continue this initiative,” Bodnar added.
He assumed that Ukraine and partners are already calculating all possible options and prescribing an emergency plan.