The possibility of continuing the grain corridor after Russia's exit from the agreement exists, but no one can guarantee that Russia will not attack ships.

"Physically, ships can pass from the ports of Odesa through the territorial waters of Romania, Bulgaria, and Türkiye, either being inspected or not. It all depends on how the parties to the existing initiative decide," stated Ukraine's ambassador to Türkiye, Vasyl Bodnar, on Radio Liberty.

He explained that since Ukraine, Türkiye, and the UN have not withdrawn from this initiative, it continues to be valid for these parties.

"The only issue is the physical threat. When the agreement was signed, the aggressor country gave guarantees not to attack ships and port infrastructure," the ambassador said. Now, according to him, such guarantees no longer exist.

As an option, Bodnar suggests the possibility of working with insurers, but there are also questions of responsibility for security risks.

"There is also the issue of insurance, which was traditionally relevant for maritime carriers. When the 'grain deal' was signed, this insurance cost decreased significantly, allowing grain to be exported with benefits."

Now, it is also possible to do so with the presence of political will and certain security measures that we can guarantee, as well as perhaps with the support of some partners. However, this is somewhat doubtful because then we would have to take responsibility for missile strikes or other weapons that the Russians may try to use to attack ports or ships," explained the diplomat.

He assured that Türkiye is interested in continuing the "grain deal" because it has been and remains a major purchaser of Ukrainian grain.

On July 17, Russia announced the suspension of the "grain deal."

Previously, Ukraine reached out to Türkiye and the UN with a proposal to continue the operation of the "grain corridor" within the framework of the Black Sea Grain Initiative without Russia, which withdrew from the agreements on Monday.

The Kremlin threatened "risks" to those parties considering continuing the "grain deal" without Russia's participation.