Ukraine ready to include food trade routes in potential agreement to halt strikes

Ukraine is ready to support US President Donald Trump’s proposal for a mutual halt to strikes on critical infrastructure as a step toward de-escalation, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. Kyiv wants any potential agreement to cover not only energy facilities but also food export routes and other critical infrastructure.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was prepared to halt retaliatory strikes if the initiative involved genuine mutual de-escalation. Kyiv is awaiting concrete details from the United States and confirmation that russia is prepared to comply with such an arrangement over the long term.

Including food trade routes in the potential mechanism could be important for Ukrainian agricultural exports, which depend heavily on the stable operation of maritime and other logistics infrastructure. This could cover ports, commercial vessels, logistics routes and food storage facilities.

Trump presented the mutual halt to energy strikes as an agreement that had already been reached. However, according to Financial Times journalist Christopher Miller, the statement was ahead of the actual negotiations: the initiative is still being worked out, no final agreement has been reached, and its specific terms have yet to be defined.

Farmers in both countries have an interest in ending strikes on port infrastructure and commercial shipping. Stable exports would allow producers to sell more of their crops and secure funds for the next planting campaign. Lower risks to ports and civilian vessels could also stabilize grain and oilseed supplies from the Black Sea region and reduce the risk of higher global food prices.

Tags: Ukraine, Russia, export, war, Black Sea grain corridor