The UK will seek to ensure that Ukraine can export various goods from the country, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said following his telephone conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky.

“The Prime Minister expressed his determination to redouble his efforts to provide the people of Ukraine with vital food and humanitarian aid, as well as to ensure that Ukraine can export to other countries of the world,” the office said in a statement.

It was noted that the prime minister spoke about another batch of defensive aid sent to Kyiv, and about new sanctions "imposed on Vladimir Putin and his supporters."

This is the second conversation between Johnson and Zelensky in the last few days, in which the topic of food exports from Ukraine was touched upon.

On May 19, the British prime minister "expressed grave concern about the aggravating global consequences caused by ... the blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea," including rising food prices in developing countries.

"They reviewed options for opening key sea and land supply routes for Ukraine's grain stocks and committed to direct their teams' efforts to urgently work on the next steps," Johnson's office said in a statement.

Food issue

Western politicians in the past few weeks have been seeking the export of grain from the territory of Ukraine, where a special military operation is ongoing.

Thus, on May 19, UN Secretary General António Guterres said that he was negotiating with Russia and other countries and hoped to reach an agreement based on their results, which would allow the export of grain from Ukrainian ports, as well as provide access to the global markets for fertilizers and products from the Russian Federation.

At the same time, Guterres said that he was still far from achieving it.

“In view of the serious potential consequences in terms of security, economy and finance, the good will of all parties is needed to reach a package agreement,” the UN Secretary General emphasized.

At the same time, he refused to disclose the details of the negotiations, because "public statements can reduce the chances of success."

Guterres recalled that Ukraine and Russia together produce almost a third of the world's wheat and barley, half of the world's sunflower oil, and the Russian Federation and Belarus are among the top three producers of potassium, which is necessary for the production of agricultural fertilizers.

“An effective solution to the food crisis is impossible without the reintegration of Ukrainian food production, as well as food and fertilizer produced by Russia and Belarus, into world markets, despite the war,” said the UN Secretary General.

  • UN Secretary General António Guterres

  • AP

In turn, the head of the UN World Food Program, David Beasley, warned that "not opening ports will be a declaration of war on global food security and will lead to famine and destabilization of entire countries, as well as forced mass migration."

Earlier, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said that the European Union would help Ukraine free its grain storage facilities by transporting it to Europe, including by sea.

“Ukraine's storage facilities are now filled to capacity, as it cannot export this grain.

And in order to receive a new crop, she needs to free up space in them.

We are working on how to help her take this grain by rail through the “corridors of solidarity,” Borrell said.

At the same time, he explained that the main obstacle to the export of grain is that the sea routes suitable for this are mined.

Russia has repeatedly stressed that the reason for the growing tension in the global food market is not a special operation in Ukraine, but the sanctions imposed against Moscow.

On Monday, May 23, this was again pointed out by the presidential press secretary, Dmitry Peskov.

He said that the Kremlin agrees with the position of the UN on the impossibility of resolving the food crisis without Russian products.

“As for grain, the president said that the sanctions imposed led to the collapse that is now observed.

Ukraine's actions to mine the seas have led to the fact that merchant shipping is now impossible.

With regard to the maritime mode of transportation, we are not the sources of the problem that leads to the threat of world starvation.

The sources of the problem are those who imposed sanctions against us, and the sanctions themselves, ”the Kremlin spokesman emphasized.

Peskov added that the Russian side has always been a reliable exporter of grain and does not interfere with the Kyiv regime in exporting products to Poland by rail.

“Echelons with weapons are coming from there, no one is stopping them from taking grain back on the same echelons,” the presidential spokesman said.

At the same time, in order to resume safe navigation in the Black Sea and resolve the issue of blocked ships with grain in Ukrainian ports, additional measures are needed, in particular, the abolition of restrictions against exports from Russia, Peskov stressed.

"Take everything of value"

Oleg Nemensky, a leading expert at the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, believes that Johnson’s frequent communication with Zelensky on the issue of exporting food from Ukraine is primarily due to London’s fears for its food security.

“The UK is very concerned about the situation in the grain markets, as the country is already experiencing an active increase in prices for grain-containing products.

Therefore, London is faced with the task of pumping as much as possible from Ukraine all the grain that has already been and will be collected there.

At the same time, this year it will be collected much less, which in general threatens with big problems in providing food to the citizens of Ukraine itself.

But in this case, London proceeds not from the interests of the population of Ukraine, but from its own,” the expert said.

  • Wheat field

  • RIA News

  • © Sergey Averin

At the same time, Western countries are not ready to resort to any active intervention in order to take food out of Ukrainian territory, Oleg Nemensky noted.

“Undoubtedly, the West will not start hostilities for the sake of exporting grain.

The question of how to export it has not yet been resolved.

It will be very expensive and economically impractical to do this by land.

The West will try to resolve this problem primarily through diplomacy.

It is possible that the naval forces can be involved as insurance for the export of grain.

But this is unlikely to be the reason for the start of direct hostilities between the Russian Federation and Western countries, ”said the interlocutor of RT.

A similar point of view was expressed by Nikita Danyuk, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, a member of the Russian Public Chamber.

“Boris Johnson is just trying to hide the fact that in fact the West is absolutely not interested in Ukraine having enough food, including grain.

Its wording contains mutually exclusive provisions.

To provide Ukraine with the necessary food and humanitarian aid, it is necessary not to help the crisis to continue.

At the same time, Great Britain is probably one of the first countries that is interested in the continuation of hostilities.

Based on this, Johnson's statement is absolutely hypocritical, ”the political scientist emphasized.

The West is trying by military-political methods to force Ukraine to ensure that the export of food and grain not only does not stop, but increases, Danyuk believes.

“Financial assistance to Kyiv has not yet been received in full, and this gives reason to believe that Ukraine has not paid enough for it, including with its grain.

The same can be said about the widely announced military aid, which may not come until June.

Just when Ukraine must 100% fulfill the agreements on the export of all grain from the country, ”the expert emphasized.

He added that the West perceives Ukraine as its raw materials appendage and has actually endowed it with the status of a colony.

“The only thing Ukraine has to do is grow and export grain, export food.

Only under these conditions will the West provide assistance to Ukraine.

Ukraine is not a partner or ally.

Everything suggests that the West itself does not believe that Ukraine will somehow be able to maintain its statehood.

Therefore, you need to take out as much valuable as possible from there.

The only thing that is valuable there now is grain, ”concluded the interlocutor of RT.