British News Agency

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha raised Russia’s attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine during his meeting with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Referring to an attack on a residential building in the city of Pryluky that killed people, including children, Sybiha said Russia was targeting civilians.

Sybiha said Ukraine supports a rules-based multilateral trading system, noting that Russia’s attacks on civilian vessels, seafarers and Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea threaten global food supply chains. He stressed that the security of maritime transport should be restored without delay.

Highlighting the importance of opening new markets for Ukrainian agricultural products, Sybiha said remote inspection practices in which Ukraine gained experience during the war could make agricultural trade more resilient. He said Ukraine had reached agreements with the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada on implementing these practices, and proposed creating an international standard within the WTO for conducting remote inspections and examinations and recognizing their results.

Sybiha said they expected Okonjo-Iweala’s contribution in building support for the initiative among WTO members.