Russia has "once again" blocked 50 ships carrying "urgently needed" Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on April 17.
He added that the bloc would "continue facilitating exports through the EU Solidarity Lanes" on Ukraine-EU land borders, which "have brought 25 billion tons of grain to the world."
After starting its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia blocked Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, hindering Ukraine from exporting its grain and forcing Kyiv to start exporting overland through neighboring countries.
Earlier the same day, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry reported that Russia had blocked inspections of ships transporting Ukrainian grain in Turkey's waters for the second time, endangering the functioning of the "grain deal."
The UN and Turkey-brokered deal, first signed in July 2022, has been paramount in stopping global food prices from soaring.
On March 18, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov announced the extension of the grain deal, allowing Ukraine to export millions of tons of agricultural products through the Black Sea for 120 more days.
The news came after Russian officials repeatedly threatened to back out of the deal, saying they would renew the deal only if certain conditions were met and that they were "ready" to extend it for only 60 days.
Anastasiya Gordiychuk
