Russia is ready to open a corridor for ships leaving Ukraine with food exports

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said on Wednesday that Russia is ready to provide a humanitarian corridor for ships carrying foodstuffs to leave Ukraine, in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko as saying Wednesday.

Ukraine’s Black Sea ports have been closed since Russia sent thousands of soldiers to Ukraine on Feb. 24, and more than 20 million tons of grain are stuck in silos in the country.

Russia and Ukraine account for nearly a third of the world’s wheat supply, and a shortage of grain exports from Ukraine’s ports is contributing to a growing global food crisis.

Ukraine is also a major exporter of corn and sunflower oil.

Western powers are discussing the idea of ​​creating “safe corridors” for grain exports from Ukraine’s ports, adding that any such corridor would need Russian approval.