Asked whether the ships would be Romanian or Turkish, he refused to give details, adding that it was a political issue.
"Such negotiations are underway, including on engagement of NATO vessels in ensuring the safety of civilian shipping in Ukrainian ports. And when they [agreements] will be implement, and whether they will be at all, there is no information now. I personally asked my partners about this," Neizhpapa shared in an interview with the local newspaper newspaper out Thursday.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations and signed in July 2022, which provided for a humanitarian corridor to allow safe maritime exports of Ukrainian and Russian agricultural products and fertilizers, expired on July 18, 2023, after Russia refused to extend its participation, citing persistent violations of the package deal's component to facilitate Russian grain and fertilizer exports.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in July that following the closure of the maritime humanitarian corridor, all ships sailing in the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports are considered potential carriers of military cargo and are considered to be involved in the conflict on the side of Kiev.
In August, the Ukrainian Navy announced the opening of temporary corridors for merchant ships sailing to or from the ports of Chernomorsk, Odessa, and Yuzhnoye.
In the summer of 2023, Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, saying it enriched Western countries instead of helping the poorest nations. Moscow vowed to continue supplying grain to countries in the Global South. The Russian Foreign Ministry then warned that Moscow could no longer guarantee the safety of navigation through the northwestern Black Sea. The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, warned that after the grain deal expires, all vessels in Black Sea waters bound for Ukrainian ports would be considered possible carriers of military equipment for the Kiev regime.