Russia has no place in the International Maritime Organisation – Zelenskyy

No one has done more damage to free navigation in recent decades than Russia. Therefore, Russia does not deserve a place in the International Maritime Organisation, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said in an address to the participants of the 33rd Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation.

He noted that with the outbreak of Russia’s war against Ukraine, freedom of navigation in the Black Sea has suffered the worst blow since World War II.

“On the first day of the war, Russia blocked our ports and disrupted our maritime trade routes. This led to negative consequences. First of all, in terms of food security. Food exports from Ukraine affect the lives of almost 44 million people in different regions of the world,” he said.

According to Zelenskyy, despite Russia’s withdrawal from the grain agreement and numerous shelling attacks on Ukrainian ports, Ukraine was able to send out hundreds of ships with cargo to Europe, Asia and Africa.

“We drove its fleet away from our part of the sea. And this allowed us to launch alternative routes in the Black Sea: almost 6 million tonnes of cargo have been transported in less than three months,” the President said.

At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that the International Maritime Organization, as an institution established to ensure global maritime safety, should pay much more attention to the safe operation of seaports both in Ukraine and in those regions where aggression is taking place or may take place.

“Anyone who tries to destroy the fundamental principles of navigation must be held accountable,” he stressed. “Freedom of the seas is one of the key freedoms that allowed humanity to embark on the path of progress. We must defend it together,” he said.

Zelenskyy stressed that Russia has no place in the International Maritime Organization, no place in its governing bodies, because no one has done more damage to free navigation in recent decades than Russia.

Tags: Ukraine, Russia, sanctions, war