\u201cNo grain will go anywhere\u201d unless Ukraine\u2019s security is ensured, a senior official has said RT
\nKYIV
\nUkraine will resume grain exports only when its own security is ensured, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexey Danilov said as the Russian military offensive continues in his country.
\nRT News reported on Thursday that speaking on national TV, Danilov recalled a statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs \u201cwhich clearly said that the first issue is security, the second issue is security, the third issue is security.\u201d
\n\u201cIf this issue is not resolved, and the security of our country is not ensured, no grain will go anywhere. Because for us the issue of security is the number one priority,\u201d Danilov stated, without specifying what exactly he meant by the term \u201csecurity.\u201d
\nAt the same time, he claimed that \u201cthis issue is under control\u201d and made clear that the Ukrainian authorities remember their obligations. \u201cNobody wants the world to be hungry,\u201d he stressed.
\nUkraine and Russia have accused each other of impeding grain exports. Kiev and its Western supporters claim that, by blocking Ukraine\u2019s Black Sea ports, Russia is aggravating the global food crisis. Moscow has rejected such claims, saying it is ready to ensure safe passage for grain-carrying vessels and that the disruption stems from extensive mining of the shoreline by the Ukrainian military.
\nDanilov accused Russia of \u201cartificially creating\u201d obstacles for its own benefit, of shifting responsibility and \u201cblackmailing\u201d Europe.
\nOn Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine and the West are trying to portray a \u201cminor issue\u201d with Ukrainian grain as a \u201cuniversal catastrophe.\u201d He also claimed that the Ukrainian authorities, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, have shown unwillingness to start the process of unblocking the ports. Lavrov stressed that if Kiev is now ready to clear the shoreline of mines, Russia would be happy to cooperate and is even ready to provide written guarantees that it \u201cwill not use this situation in the interests of the ongoing special military operation.\u201d
\nRussia attacked its neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine\u2019s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow\u2019s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German- and French-brokered protocol was designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
\nThe Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked and has denied claims it was planning to retake the two republics by force.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cNo grain will go anywhere\u201d unless Ukraine\u2019s security is ensured, a senior official has said RT KYIV Ukraine will resume grain exports only when its own security is ensured, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Alexey Danilov said as the Russian military offensive continues in his country. RT News reported on Thursday that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265393,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[1172,8358,456],"class_list":{"0":"post-265377","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-exports","9":"tag-resuming","10":"tag-ukraine"},"yoast_head":"\n