Ukraine hopes to start implementing a deal to export millions of tonnes of grain from blockaded Black Sea ports as soon as this week, even after Russian missile strikes hit the key Ukrainian port city of Odesa and threatened to unravel the agreement.
Preparations include demining essential areas for maritime traffic and setting up special naval corridors for the safe passage of merchant vessels, as well as the setting up of a co-ordination centre in Istanbul, where the deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey, was inked on Friday.
The plans are moving ahead, a Ukrainian official said on Monday, despite the Odesa strikes, which Ukraine previously described as violating Russia’s promise not to attack grain infrastructure and calling the entire deal into question. Russia said it targeted military infrastructure in the port.