Russia To Ensure Free Passage Of Vessels With Grain If Kiev Demines Ports - Lavrov - UrduPoint

The Russian navy will ensure free passage of vessels carrying Ukrainian grain, which are now blocked in the Black Sea ports, once Kiev agrees to remove its mines from the coastal waters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

At a press conference following the meeting with his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Lavrov said that they discussed the situation in Ukraine, including the issue of food security. Lavrov noted that Russia has been looking for ways to deblock Ukrainian sea ports to allow for grain exports for over a month now, but Kiev has yet to clear the coastal waters mined by Ukrainian forces.

"If this demining problem is solved, and we have been attracting the attention of our Western colleagues who have been worried about this for many weeks, then on the high seas, as I said, the Russian navy will ensure the unhindered passage of these vessels into the Mediterranean Sea and on to their destinations," Lavrov said.