Ukraine transports over 70 million tons of cargo thanks to maritime corridor - Zelenskyy

As Zelenskyy noted, despite the war and Russian terror, Ukraine continues to be a donor of global food security for dozens of countries and is expanding its capabilities.

"Over a year of operation of our export sea corridor, 70 million tons of cargo have been transported. More than 2,500 vessels have departed from Ukrainian ports. Ports in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas are receiving our Ukrainian cargoes. Countries from Egypt to Indonesia, from Tunisia and Libya to India, and from Algeria to China have received our Ukrainian grain," Zelenskyy said.

He added that thanks to the humanitarian initiative Grain from Ukraine, aid has also reached Ethiopia, Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan.

Grain corridor

In July 2023, Russia withdrew from the grain deal, which had allowed the transportation of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea. In response, Ukraine decided to independently resume exports without involving the aggressor country. The Russian side attempted to obstruct the grain corridor by striking ports and infrastructure.

However, thanks to the efforts of Ukrainian military personnel and international diplomacy, these attacks were halted. In August, Ukraine opened temporary corridors for civilian commercial vessels, primarily intended for the departure of ships that had been stuck in Ukrainian ports since the start of the war.

According to the Center for Transport Strategies, during the six months of operation of the Black Sea corridor organized by Ukraine, 661 vessels exported more than 20 million tons of cargo from the ports of Velyka Odesa to 32 countries worldwide. Of this, 14.3 million tons were products from Ukrainian agrarians.