Ukrainian Zelenskiy says the first grain ship “nothing”, the economy in a coma

KYIV/ISTANBUL, Aug 3 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy has dismissed the significance of his country’s first grain shipment since the Russian invasion, saying it was carrying a fraction of the harvest Kyiv owes sell to help save its crumbling economy.

His pessimistic comments, via video to Australian students on Wednesday, came as an inspection of the ship was completed in Turkey before it continues to its final destination in Lebanon as part of a deal to ease a global food crisis . Read more

The vessel, Razoni, left Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odessa early Monday, carrying 26,527 tonnes of maize bound for Tripoli in Lebanon. This followed a UN-brokered grain and fertilizer export deal between Moscow and Kyiv last month – a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a long war of attrition.

But Zelenskiy, speaking through an interpreter, said more time was needed to see if more grain shipments would follow.

“Just recently, thanks to the UN in partnership with Turkey, we had a first ship with the delivery of grain, but it’s still nothing. But we hope it’s a trend that will continue,” he told the students.

He said Ukraine needed to export at least 10 million tonnes of grain to urgently help reduce its budget deficit which stood at $5 billion a month.

A senior Turkish official said three ships could leave Ukrainian ports every day after the Razoni sailed, while Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said another 17 ships had been loaded with agricultural products and were waiting to set sail.

Known as the breadbasket of Europe, Ukraine hopes to export 20 million tonnes of grain stored in silos and 40 million tonnes of the current harvest, initially from Odessa and nearby Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk.

“The war…almost kills the economy. It’s in a coma,” Zelenskiy added. “Russia’s blocking of ports is a great loss for the economy.

Zelenskiy has repeatedly warned that Moscow may try to hinder exports despite signing the deal last month.

‘THE HELL OF DONBAS’

Russia, which blocked Ukrainian ports after launching what it called “a special military operation” on February 24, said it wanted more to be done to facilitate exports of its own grain and fertilizer. But he hailed the departure of Ukraine’s first grain ship as positive.

He denied responsibility for the food crisis, saying sanctions from the West, which sees the war as an unprovoked imperial-style Russian land grab, have slowed his exports.

Exports from Ukraine, one of the world’s top grain producers, are aimed at mitigating price hikes and shortages as famine threatens in parts of the world.

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the grain deal could offer a way out of the dispute.

“The good news is that the Kremlin wants a negotiated solution,” Schroeder told the weekly Stern and broadcasters RTL/ntv on Wednesday, adding that he met Putin in Moscow last week.

“A first success is the grain agreement, which can perhaps be slowly extended to a ceasefire.” Read more

Ukraine’s General Staff on Wednesday listed continued Russian heavy shelling of Kharkiv and other nearby towns and villages, as well as air and missile strikes on civilian objects. Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians, which it accuses Kyiv of doing.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its missiles destroyed a depot containing weapons supplied by Poland in Ukraine’s Lviv region.

Reuters was unable to verify reports from the battlefield.

Zelenskiy, in late remarks on Tuesday, said his forces could not yet overcome Russian advantages in heavy weapons and manpower despite arms supplies from the West.

“It feels a lot in combat, especially in the Donbas… It’s just hell there. Words can’t describe it,” he said.

Russia is fighting to take full control of Donbass, the heavily industrialized part of eastern Ukraine.

He told the United Nations on Tuesday that the conflict did not justify Moscow’s use of nuclear weapons, but that he may decide to use its nuclear arsenal in response to “direct aggression” from alliance countries. NATO military. Read more

Reports from Reuters offices; Written by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne

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