Russia's Foreign Minister Rejects Proposal to Halt Black Sea Attacks on Civilian Cargo Ships

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Ukraine's proposal to stop attacks on ships carrying civilian cargo in the Black Sea cannot be monitored or enforced, and Russia cannot accept it. According to Sina Finance, Lavrov said Ukraine had proposed through Turkey to restore such an arrangement, but there is no way to supervise compliance and he called the idea "completely unrealistic." Lavrov also said Russia had previously accepted the Black Sea initiative but later withdrew, citing Ukraine's abuse of the initiative and unfulfilled promises regarding Russian exports.