Russia has blocked 50 vessels with Ukrainian grain, – Borrell
18.04.2023 - 09:40
Russia has blocked 50 ships transporting grain within the “grain corridor”. Ships are idle in the Black Sea.
“Russia again blocks 50 vessels with urgently needed grain in the Black Sea. The EU supports the efforts of the UN and will continue to promote exports through EU solidarity channels,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell wrote on Twitter.
On April 17, for the second time in a month, russia blocked ships inspections within the framework of the “Grain Agreement” in the Bosphorus. This has already led to a reduction in exports by 15-18 million tons.
Since April 10, the russian side in the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) has unilaterally stopped the registration of vessels submitted to Ukrainian ports for the formation of an inspection plan. Instead, the russians form their own inspection plan, selecting vessels from the queue at their discretion, which is completely contrary to the terms of the Initiative and unacceptable to Ukraine. This was reported by the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Yes, for the second time in the 9 months of work of the “Grain Initiative” the JCC did not draw up an inspection plan and did not inspect a single vessel.
Read also: Inspection of ships in the JCC is blocked only by russia
