By KYIV. Nov 3 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has not accepted any new obligations that go beyond the already existing ones in the grain deal, Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, has said.
"vladimir putin said that russia decided to unblock the grain deal after Ukraine provided "guarantees" not to use the grain corridor for military purposes. 1. Ukraine did not use and did not plan to use the grain corridor for military purposes. 2. The Ukrainian side clearly complies with the provisions of the grain deal," Nikolenko wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
The spokesperson recalled that under this deal, the parties undertook to guarantee a safe and reliable environment for the functioning of the grain corridor. Ukraine has never endangered the grain route, he said.
"Our government has not accepted any new obligations that go beyond those already existing in the grain deal," Nikolenko said.
He said that Moscow returned to the grain deal thanks to the active diplomacy of UN Secretary General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
"In coordination with Ukraine, they found words that Putin understood. It was a position of strength, not concessions. Russia’s return to fulfill its obligations under the grain initiative clearly illustrates the effective formula: strong position + decisive action = result," Nikolenko wrote.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson added that Ukraine is grateful to the UN and Türkiye for their leadership in resuming the operation of the grain corridor, which plays an important role in ensuring global food security.
