The current state of port infrastructure, the Grain Initiative and the development of alternative logistics routes for the export of Ukrainian products were discussed during a working meeting chaired by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Odesa region.

In particular, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, reported on the prospects for the development of Ukrainian Black Sea and Danube ports, the security aspect of their work and the challenges associated with the implementation of the Grain Initiative.

“The enemy continues to create difficulties for the operation of Ukrainian ports, in particular, it is actually blocking the work of the largest Ukrainian Black Sea port, Pivdennyi. As a result, at least 10 countries are receiving less food. To mitigate the damage, we plan to increase the throughput capacity of the Danube port cluster.

We also discussed how to strengthen the protection of port infrastructure and develop alternative logistics routes for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products. In particular, it concerns the development of railway and road infrastructure on the western borders and near Ukrainian ports,” said Oleksandr Kubrakov.

The meeting also discussed:

• ensuring the safety of port operations,
• ensuring stable civil navigation in the Black Sea,
• development of the Danube port cluster.

The meeting was also attended by Yuriy Vaskov, Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, and the management of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA).

As a reminder, since the launch of the Grain Initiative in August 2022, more than 30 million tonnes of food products have been exported from the Ukrainian ports of Pivdennyi, Chornomorsk and Odesa.