Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it would consider all ships bound for Ukrainian Black Sea ports as potential military transports from midnight Moscow time (9:00 p.m. GMT Wednesday) following the termination of a Black Sea grain agreement, Reuters reported. .

“Moscow will consider countries whose ships approach Ukraine as participants in the conflict”

In a statement published on the messaging app Telegram, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it was declaring the southeastern and northwestern areas of the Black Sea’s international waters “dangerous to navigation” and that countries whose flag ships call at Ukrainian ports would be considered “parties of the conflict from the Ukrainian side”.

It will be recalled that on Monday Moscow announced its withdrawal from the grain agreement, which last year allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports to solve the global food crisis.

Russia said it pulled out of the deal because a parallel agreement to promote exports of its own grain and fertilizer in the face of Western economic sanctions was not respected.

The Kremlin also warned on Tuesday that there would be “risks” in trying to ship grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports without security guarantees from Russia, as Moscow claims Kyiv has used those waters for military operations.

Read also:

• Immediate effect of the Kremlin’s decision to terminate the Black Sea Grain Agreement / What consequences may be caused by Vladimir Putin’s measures
• Zelensky’s first reaction after Russia’s decision to withdraw from the grain agreement: We must do everything to keep this corridor in use / Companies will, if Turkey allows them
• Odesa region, a key area for the important grain deal, was attacked immediately after the UN-brokered deal ended / Arrival at the port

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