The shipment of Ukrainian grain was the first since the war began in February, as part of a landmark agreement to lift Moscow’s naval blockade of the Black Sea. Speaking in his nightly video address, Mr Zelensky called the mission a “first positive message” to stop the spread of the global food crisis, but it was “too early to draw conclusions and predict further events”. “Right now, everything depends on the implementation of the security parameters of the Initiative, which is the responsibility of the partners, mainly the United Nations and Turkey,” he said. “We cannot be under any illusions that Russia will simply refrain from trying to disrupt Ukrainian exports. “But the port started working, the movement of exports started and this can be called the first positive signal that there is an opportunity to stop the spread of the food crisis in the world.” A five-month halt in deliveries from war-torn Ukraine – one of the world’s biggest grain exporters – has pushed up food prices, hitting the world’s poorest countries particularly hard. Officials said the cargo ship Razoni, registered in Sierra Leone, was traversing a specially cleared corridor in the mine-infested waters of the Black Sea with 26,000 tonnes of maize on board. Other convoys are now expected to follow, respecting the sea lane and the agreed formalities. Follow the latest updates below.
