Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram he visited the southern regions of Ukraine, including Odesa.
- “We will not give the south to anyone, we will return everything,” Zelenskyy said in his post.
- Zelenskyy warned in May that the blockade could lead to a global grain shortage.
Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared that the Black Sea will return to Ukranian control after he visited the Southern regions of Ukraine and spoke to troops there.
His visits included the cities of Mykolaiv and Odesa, which are both part of Russia’s effort to take control of the Black Sea Coast.
“I talked to our defenders – the military, police, National Guard, Terrorist Defense,” Zelenskyy wrote in a Telegram post. “Their mood is sure, they all do not doubt our victory.”
The president thanked troops for their service and handed out medals to soldiers, urging them to “take care of Ukraine” the BBC reported.
“We will not give the south to anyone, we will return everything – and the sea will be Ukrainian – it will be safe,” Zelenskyy wrote.
Zelenskyy warned in May that Russian blockades of Ukrainian ports could lead to global food shortages, particularly of grain. Ukraine produces 80 million tons of grain each year.
“There will be a crisis in the world. The second crisis after the energy one, which was provoked by Russia,” Zelenskyy said after meeting with Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa in Kyiv. “Now it will create a food crisis if we do not unblock the routes for Ukraine, do not help the countries of Africa, Europe, Asia, which need these food products.”
Just days before Zelenskyy’s trip to southern Ukraine, the president met with European world leaders in Kyiv, including French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron and Zelenskyy have not been on the best terms after Macron called for a “diplomatic solution” to the war.
