Putin vs. Zelensky: Russia announced last weekend that it would withdraw from the deal allowing grain exports from Ukraine through the Black Sea after a drone attack on its warships in the port of Sevastopol ZN.UA. News/Games
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday celebrated Russia’s 180degree turn to return to the United Nationsbacked grain export deal, saying it was a “significant diplomatic result” it had demonstrated, “the failure of Russian aggression.”
“The implementation of the Grain Export Initiative continues,” said Zelenskyy.
Russia announced last weekend that it would withdraw from a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain across the Black Sea after a drone attack on its warships in the port of Sevastopol. The Russian Defense Ministry was then pleased to have received “sufficient” assurances from Kyiv that it would not use the sea corridor for attacks.
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Zelenskyy said the reversal showed that “Russian blackmail has gotten nowhere.” After eight months of war, “the Kremlin says it has demanded security guarantees from Ukraine,” he said. “Two hundred and fiftytwo days ago, Russia requested security guarantees from the United States of America.”
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“These are really remarkable changes. It shows both the failure of Russian aggression and how strong you and I are when we stand together.”
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The threat of Russia withdrawing from the deal raised fears about global hunger and rising food prices, temporarily alleviated by the grain program. The current contract expires on November 19.
Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of using the grain corridor to prepare attacks on Russia, including last month’s bombing of Crimea’s Kerch Bridge, in which explosives used in the attack were allegedly shipped from Odessa.
Russia’s decision to back down was seen by Ukraine and its allies as a humiliating turn of events. “Putin has been humiliated once again. The Kremlin blackmailer has once again made a laughingstock of the whole world and backed down,” wrote Anton Gerashchenko, Zelenskyi’s senior adviser, on Telegram.
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