Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of possible food supply shortages caused by Russian strikes on cargo vessels in the Black Sea. “Ukraine is one of the largest food suppliers to Egypt and to a significant number of other countries in Africa and the Middle East. These supplies are now under serious threat because of Russia’s war,” Zelenskyy said on X. “We are already seeing a significant reduction in supplies, and this could have very unpleasant consequences due to rising prices and shortages,” he said, adding that the two countries had agreed to work on solutions.
Russia on Friday dismissed the idea of a ceasefire with Ukraine in the Black Sea, saying it saw no grounds for “half-measures” that would offer a respite to the other side. In a statement, foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of “brazen acts of terrorism” against shipping, while making no mention of Russia’s own attacks. “We view these attacks (by Ukraine) as a deliberate policy aimed at destabilising civilian shipping in the Black Sea region,” Zakharova said. “At the same time, we see no signs of improvement in the situation and, consequently, no grounds for half-measures that merely grant the Kyiv regime a temporary breathing space.”
