US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price stated that there is no alternative that can replace the Black Sea Grain Initiative in order to take Ukrainian grain out of the country, and regarding Turkey’s efforts in this regard, “We have absolute confidence in the Turks regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative.” used the phrases.
In his daily press conference on Monday, Price pointed out that they are concerned about Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative agreement, and that especially developing and underdeveloped countries will be affected by the suspension of this initiative. Answering the question of whether it will be possible to transport grain by land instead of the agreement signed between the United Nations (UN), Turkey, Ukraine and Russia, which allows millions of tons of wheat to be removed from Ukrainian ports, Price used the following statements:
“Ukraine had the ability to transport its wheat by land even before the Grain Initiative came into force. So of course, from the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine, not only the Black Sea but also the land routes have been functional to a certain extent. There is no substitute for Ukraine’s export of grain via the Black Sea.”
Price said that as of yesterday, 9.5 million metric tons of grain were mined from Ukraine as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the majority of which went to developing countries.
The spokesperson noted that it would be very difficult to build and maintain the infrastructure necessary for the overland extraction of such large quantities of grain from Ukraine, and to maintain it amid continued Russian aggression.
Reiterating that there is no alternative to the Black Sea Grain Initiative in this case, Price said, “If Russia stands in the way of this initiative, it will draw serious condemnation from the world.” he said.
Responding to the claims that a significant portion of the crops extracted as part of Russia’s grain initiative went to Europe, Price said that 66 percent of the grain extracted under the initiative went to developing countries, 19 percent went to the least developed countries, and even one of the ships is currently He noted that he went to Ethiopia, where food shortages were experienced due to the civil war.
“Of course, we call on Russia to honor its commitment not only to the parties to this agreement, Ukraine, the United Nations and Turkey, but also to the rest of the world not to stand in the way of this much-needed initiative,” Price said. said.
Turkey Has An Important Role In The Solution Of This Problem
Stating that 97 ships were at the port on Sunday, the spokesperson said that 15 ships registered to the Joint Coordination Center for entry, and 89 ships applied to participate in the program.
Asked by the American CNN Television reporter whether Turkey is making an effort to maintain this agreement, Price said, “We trust the Turks about the Black Sea Grain Initiative. “We have worked together effectively for several months to facilitate the transit of metric tons of grain to the rest of the world. We appreciate Turkey’s role and efforts in both this initiative and the Joint Coordination Center.” gave the answer.
