Everything ready for Mykolaiv ports to join grain corridor - Kim

The head of the Mykolaiv regional military administration, Vitaliy Kim, said that there are currently no official data on the ports of Mykolaiv joining the grain corridor.

He said this at a briefing at Ukraine Media Center – Ukrinform, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"There are currently no official data on Mykolaiv ports joining the grain corridor. Everyone is working on it, but I cannot confirm this information. It depends on political decisions," Kim said.

According to him, everything is ready for both Ukrainian and foreign ships to leave Mykolaiv ports. But due to the threat of shelling by Russian invaders from the Kinburn Spit, this issue is currently on hold. Kim reminded that the last time they tried to get the Nibulon barges out, they were shelled.

As Ukrinform reported, in October 2022, in the Ochakiv area, the invaders fired on two barges of the Nibulon company. Two employees were killed.

On May 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the grain deal had been extended for two months, until July 18, 2023. According to him, the Russian side promised not to prevent Turkish vessels from entering the ports of Mykolaiv and Olvia.

On March 18, 2023, Ukraine, the United Nations, and Türkiye agreed to extend the Initiative for the Safe Transportation of Agricultural Products through the Black Sea. The agreement was extended for 120 days, but Russia claimed that the agreement would be in effect until May 18, 2023.

Starting in April 2023, the Russian side has consistently blocked the grain deal’s implementation. From May 8 to May 14, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club, not a single vessel was inspected or registered for entry to Ukrainian seaports.

Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction - Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, said that Ukraine has already exported 30.4 million tonnes of agricultural products under the agreement.