Against the background of increasing threats from Moscow to end the grain agreement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized its importance for the fight against hunger. Although the war continues to hamper exports, Ukraine has exported nearly eight million tons of food by sea since the Grains Agreement came into force, Zelenskyy said in his daily video address yesterday. “That’s more than 300 ships. 60 percent of the amount went to Africa and Asia.”
Threats from Moscow not new
Just a few days ago, Russia threatened to stop the grain deal and block the Ukrainian ports again. There are two reasons for this. In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of a “rip-off”. The agreement regarding the easing of sanctions against Russian food and fertilizers is not being observed.
Most recently, the Kremlin boss also cited the thesis that Ukraine probably smuggled the explosives for the attack on the Crimean bridge by sea. Selenskyj countered this with the importance of Ukrainian grain exports for fighting hunger.
Heavy fighting in Donetsk
Zelenskyi had no news to report from the front. He admitted heavy fighting around the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar in the Donetsk region, where the Russian military is attacking. At the same time, he asked his compatriots to save electricity.
“Due to Russian missile terror, in some cities and regions of Ukraine it is necessary to limit electricity supply in order for the whole system to function stably,” he said. It is particularly necessary to save electricity during the peak hours in the evening, as otherwise there would be overloads and the electricity companies would be forced to switch off.