Russia has no plans to attack civilian ships in the Black Sea, Moscow's ambassador to Washington assures
Russia is not preparing attacks on civilian cargo ships in the Black Sea, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Thursday, after the White House raised the possibility of such attacks and the Russian Defense Ministry itself conveyed that it will consider ships heading for Ukraine as potential military cargo shipments, following Russia's withdrawal from the agreement that provided a safe navigable corridor for Ukrainian grain exports, Reuters reports.
Attempts to blame Russia for preparing attacks on civilian vessels are completely false, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said on Telegram, Reuters reports.
"We consider the US statements as an attempt to disguise by any means its own destructive activities, aimed de facto at sabotaging the implementation of the interconnected Istanbul agreements," the Russian ambassador added.
The head of Russian diplomacy in the United States was referring to the deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain through a safe corridor on the Black Sea, but from which Russia withdrew on Monday, accusing it of failing to comply with the component that provided for facilitating exports of Russian grain and fertiliser, indirectly hindered by the effect of Western financial sanctions against Russia after its aggression against Ukraine, Agerpres notes.
The Russian Defence Ministry warned on Wednesday that with the "closure of the humanitarian maritime corridor, as of 21:00 GMT all ships heading for Ukrainian ports in Black Sea waters will be considered potential carriers of military cargoes" and "flag states of ships heading for Ukrainian ports will be considered by Russia to be involved in Ukraine on the side of the Kiev regime". In addition, the Russian ministry said it was declaring parts of the international waters to the northwest and southeast of the Black Sea unsafe for navigation.
Commenting on these announcements by Moscow, the White House estimated that Russia could expand its actions on Ukrainian grain transport and storage infrastructure by attacking also civilian transport vessels in the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski, Mihailo Podoliak, announced in an interview with France Presse that Ukraine is proposing the creation of international military patrols in the Black Sea, under a UN mandate and with the participation of countries bordering the Black Sea, such as NATO members Bulgaria and Turkey, to guarantee the security of ships exporting Ukrainian grain.
Kiev has also said that it could also consider any ship heading for Russian ports or Russian-occupied Ukrainian ports as a potential arms shipment, with all the risks that this entails, suggesting that such ships could be considered military targets.
