Russia not willing to accept ceasefire on grain ships – Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Russia is not willing to engage in a mutual halt to attacks on vessels carrying agricultural produce in the Black Sea, as Moscow wants to expand the deal to also cover attacks on Russian oil infrastructure.

Source: Reuters

Details: Earlier this month, Ukraine offered Russia a deal to stop attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea. Russia rejected the idea, saying it saw no grounds for "half-measures" that would give the other side a respite.

Zelenskyy said on Sunday that he had spoken to foreign leaders and proposed that they use their own vessels to transport food from Ukrainian ports. In return, Ukraine would not attack their ships if they also collected agricultural produce from Russia.

However, Moscow is demanding a different concession: it will stop attacking Ukraine's grain corridor only if Kyiv stops striking Russian energy infrastructure, including its oil and gas facilities.

The president pointed out that for Russia, the issue is not about grain at all, but purely about its energy sector. He said the two things cannot be compared.

He said any agreement to halt Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries and fuel infrastructure would have to be matched by a Russian halt to attacks on Ukraine's energy system.

Background:

• In early August, attacks on vessels, ports and terminals in the Black Sea had already begun disrupting the supply of grain and oil.
• On 14 August, it emerged that Ukraine had passed on, via a third party, a proposal to Russia for a mutual halt to attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea and was awaiting Moscow's response.

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