Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia seeks to gain control over the food corridor in the Black Sea, which is the main reason for their agreement to a ceasefire. He noted that the situation in the region has significantly changed: <blockquote>“The ceasefire in the Black Sea is primarily important for the Russians. They have long lost control over the corridor in the Black Sea. Their Black Sea fleet is at the bottom or hidden. They simply want to jump back into control of the food corridor”</blockquote>.
This is reported by Finway
Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine is successfully managing the situation in the Black Sea and will not allow the return of control to the Russian Federation. The President also stressed that Ukraine is ready for a complete ceasefire and has agreed to arrangements regarding the Black Sea, as this is “undoubtedly a step towards ending the war”.
At the same time, he expressed hope that the American side would ensure compliance with the ceasefire in the Black Sea, despite Moscow’s attempts to introduce additional conditions into an agreement that contains no preconditions. According to Zelensky, these demands mainly correspond to those raised two years ago during negotiations for the extension of the Black Sea agreement. At that time, the agreement could not be extended, and the Russian Federation withdrew from it, while Ukraine took on the responsibility of ensuring security in the Black Sea by pushing Russian ships away using maritime drones.