Croatia offers its ports for Ukrainian grain exports

Croatia is offering its railroad network and ports in the Adriatic Sea to transport Ukrainian grain via alternative routes in the wake of Russia's blocking of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The remarks came from Croatian State Secretary for Political Affairs Frano Matušić at a meeting of the UN General Assembly during an open ministerial debate on the situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, according to Ukrinform.

"Croatia is ready to help find new routes for Ukrainian grain exports. Croatian railways and ports in the Adriatic Sea are among the possible alternative routes," he said.

Matušić said Russia's decision not to extend the agreement provokes the threat of famine in many parts of the world.

In his speech, Matušić noted that from the first days of the Russian invasion, Croatia declared that it stood by Ukraine and its people. He emphasised that Croatia is ready to support Ukraine for as long as it is needed.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the grain deal could work without Russia's participation and that by withdrawing from the deal, Russia was disrupting its own agreements with Türkiye and the UN, as Ukraine has no agreements with the Russians.