Russia calls for pressure on Kyiv to ensure maritime navigation safety in the Black Sea

Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, noted that this approach is likely to yield faster and more tangible results than signing multiple non-binding legal documents.

Vienna, October 14. /TASS/. Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, said collective international pressure on Kiev would be the best way to ensure the safety of merchant ships in the Black Sea.

"We are convinced that in terms of ensuring the safety of commercial vessels in the waters [of the Black Sea], the optimal solution is to apply collective international pressure on the problem-giver - the Kiev regime," the diplomat said at a meeting of the Security Cooperation Forum of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. His statement is available to Dice.

Based on his assessment, this approach is likely to have faster and more tangible results than signing numerous non-binding legal documents. Zhdanova pointed to the experience of the 2022-2023 Black Sea Initiative, which, according to her, served only as a cover for Ukraine's military logistics.

The diplomat said that the priority measures to establish stability should be to stop Kiev's attacks on civilian ships and to create barriers to international trade operations and logistics routes.