Ukraine ready to keep grain deal, response from UN and Turkey needed - Zelenskyy

"We had two agreements: Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN; another agreement was between Russia, Turkey, and the UN. So when Russia says it is stopping, it is breaking its agreements with UN Secretary-General Guterres and President Erdogan. Not with us. We had no agreements with them," the president said.

Zelenskyy has ordered to prepare official signals to the UN and Turkey concerning the deal.

"I have instructed our Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the official signal from the Russian Federation, to prepare our official signals to the United Nations and Turkey in order to receive their response as the President of Ukraine, confirming that they are ready to keep our initiative," he added.

The Ukrainian leader noted that even without Russia, everything should be done to ensure that Ukraine can use the Black Sea corridor.

"We are not afraid. The ship-owned companies approached us. They said that if Ukraine releases (the goods), and Turkey allows passage, they are ready to continue supplying grain," Zelenskyy emphasized.

The grain deal

Dmitry Peskov, the Spokesperson of the Russian dictator, said that the agreements on the grain deal have been terminated.

After the full-scale invasion began, the Russians started blocking Ukrainian ports. Later, Turkey and the UN signed separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia creating the "grain corridor" in the Black Sea. It ensures the export of Ukrainian foodstuffs.

The deal implementation has been extended several times. However, each time before the deadlines expired, Russia announced that it would not keep the "corridor" and attempted to benefit while negotiating sanctions exceptions or additional opportunities for Russian exports, but unsuccessfully.