Zelenskyy: russia Is Not Ready for a Maritime Truce for Grain Exports

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated this while speaking with journalists on August 23, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

«The russians started this escalation because they very much wanted to block our ability to defend ourselves. We are responding, including by attacking their shadow fleet, oil facilities, Novorossiysk and so on. They were unable to find a way to stop us. They even tried to find political levers, using certain political leaders to influence us, but they failed. And then they began attacking our grain corridor. And, of course, we started responding again,» Zelenskyy said.

According to him, «it appears that what they want is that they will not attack our grain corridor only if we do not attack their energy sector.»

«We are quite fairly responding against their agricultural exports, which are substantial, and we are trying to find a way to establish all these food corridors in order to preserve both our exports and the overall food security situation. I spoke with several leaders. I suggested that they use their vessels to transport food from our ports, and we will not attack their vessels if they come and take agricultural exports from russia. And to convey a message to russia that russia cannot attack vessels of one country or another that may transport our grain, just as we will then not attack their grain. We are receiving many signals from around the world that this is important. But I know that russia is not ready for this. This is, once again, an answer showing that for them the issue is not grain. The issue is solely their energy sector, but these things are not comparable,» the President stressed.

Zelenskyy is convinced that vladimir putin is neither ready nor willing to de-escalate and is counting only on the continuation of the war.