'Too early' to celebrate grain shipment: Zelensky
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prefers to "wait and see how the agreement works and whether security will be really guaranteed."
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President Volodymyr Zelensky
On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was "too soon" to celebrate, after the first shipment of Ukrainian grain will depart the port of Odessa under a UN and Turkey-brokered deal.
"At this time, it is too early to draw any conclusions and make any forecasts," he said in his daily video address. "Let's wait and see how the agreement works and whether security will be really guaranteed."
The first shipment of Ukrainian grain since the beginning of the Ukrainian war left Odessa on Monday under the UN-Turkey-sponsored Grain Deal to lift the naval blockade in the Black Sea.
The 5-month halt of deliveries from Ukraine, which is one of the world's biggest grain exporters, has contributed to rising food prices, especially in the world's poorest countries.
According to officials, the Razoni cargo ship flying the flag of Sierra Leone was making its way through a specially cleared corridor in the mine-infested waters of the Black Sea carrying 26,000 tonnes of maize on board.
Other convoys would follow, observing the maritime corridor and the procedures agreed upon with Russia on July 22, according to the government.
Ukraine and Russia signed on July 22 a historic agreement with Turkey and the UN to alleviate a worldwide food crisis caused by stalled Black Sea grain deliveries.
Read more: Guterres: First grain shipment from Odessa 'important starting point'
