Ukraine has a stock of grain ready for export worth $10 billion, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said on Friday, TASS reports.
"About 20 million tonnes of last year’s grain harvest will be exported. This year’s harvest - it is being harvested already - could also be sold. This is income of farmers of the entire agricultural sector and state budget. This is jobs. We already have a present stock of grain worth about $10 billion," Zelensky said in an address, published on his Telegram channel Friday.
The Ukrainian leader went on to say that all provisions of the Istanbul deal were fully in line with Ukraine’s national interests. He thanked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for their efforts.
"There may be some kind of provocations on the part of Russia. <…> But we trust the UN. It is now their responsibility and the responsibility of our international partners to guarantee implementation of the agreements," Zelensky said in a video address published in his Telegram channel on Friday.
A package of documents geared to resolve the problem of food and fertilizer supplies on global markets was signed on July 22 in Istanbul. Under the Russia-UN memorandum, the United Nations undertakes to work toward lifting anti-Russian restrictions hampering exports of agricultural products and fertilizers. Another document envisages a mechanism of exporting grain from Ukraine-controlled Black Sea ports. An agreement between Russia, Turkey and the United Nations provides for the establishment of a quadrilateral coordination center to inspect ships carrying grain to prevent weapons smuggling and rule out provocations.
