At least 10 countries do not receive food due to blockade of Pivdennyi port - Ministry of Restoration
Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration - Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov stated this at a working meeting chaired by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in Odesa region, Ukrinform reports citing the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine (Ministry for Restoration) on Facebook.
"The enemy continues to create difficulties for the work of Ukrainian ports. Russians are actually blocking the work of the largest Ukrainian Black Sea port Pivdennyi. As a result, at least 10 countries are not receiving enough food. We plan to increase the throughput capacity of the Danube Port Cluster to mitigate the damage," Kubrakov said.
In addition, the meeting focused on strengthening the protection of port infrastructure and developing alternative logistics routes for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products. This included the development of rail and road infrastructure on the western borders and near Ukrainian ports.
They also discussed issues of ensuring port security, ensuring stable civilian navigation in the Black Sea, and the development of the Danube port cluster.
The ministry reminds that since August 2022, when the grain initiative was launched, more than 30 million tonnes of food have been exported from the Ukrainian ports of Pivdennyi, Chornomorsk, and Odesa.
As Ukrinform reported, 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 the Russians claimed that the agreement would be valid until May 18, 2023.
On May 17, Kubrakov said that the agreement would be in effect until July 18, 2023.
On May 21, the Ministry of Restoration stated that the Russian side in the Joint Coordination Center had been blocking the work of the Pivdennyi port for almost a month.
