At Crimea Platform summit, Zelensky links food and energy price rises to Russia's occupation of Crimea and offers Black Sea safe-passage proposal
Speaking at the sixth Crimea Platform summit on 23 September, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to agree to a regime of safe passage for ships in the Black Sea and is awaiting Russia's response. He tied current global rises in food and energy prices to Russia's occupation of Crimea beginning in 2014, and said that without that occupation exports of grain, fertilizers, diesel and oil through the Black Sea would proceed unimpeded. Zelensky thanked Europe, the United States, Turkey and Egypt for helping restore food security and shipping safety in the Black Sea, and noted that Egypt, India and Turkey have put forward options for shipping and food security that are 'on paper.'
Key points
- Zelensky spoke on 23 September at the sixth summit of the Crimea Platform.
- He said Ukraine is ready to agree to a regime of safe passage for ships in the Black Sea and is awaiting Russia's response.
- He linked global rises in food and energy prices to Russia's occupation of Crimea since 2014, arguing that without it grain, fertilizer, diesel and oil exports through the Black Sea would be unimpeded.
- He said Egypt, India and Turkey have proposed options on Black Sea shipping and food security that are 'on paper.'
- He said Ukraine is ready to ensure calm, safe shipping and food security in the Black Sea if Russia takes real steps toward de-escalation.
- He thanked Europe, the United States, Turkey and Egypt for helping restore food security and shipping safety in the Black Sea.
- Russia has recently intensified attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea.
Why it matters
A potential Black Sea safe-passage regime could directly affect grain, fertilizer and energy exports and global food security, while Zelensky's framing ties current price shocks to Russia's 2014 occupation of Crimea — sharpening the political and legal case against Moscow and keeping the diplomatic ball in Russia's court by publicly conditioning any deal on reciprocal Russian readiness for de-escalation.
What happened
At the sixth summit of the Crimea Platform on 23 September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine is ready to agree to a regime of safe passage for ships in the Black Sea and is awaiting Russia's response. He argued that Russia's occupation of Crimea since 2014 has been the underlying cause of current global rises in food and energy prices, and that without it exports of grain, fertilizers, diesel and oil through the Black Sea would proceed without obstruction. He thanked Europe, the United States, Turkey and Egypt for their role in restoring food security and shipping safety in the Black Sea, and noted that Egypt, India and Turkey have put forward options on shipping and food security that are, in his words, 'on paper.' Ukraine's readiness, he said, is conditional on Russia taking real steps toward de-escalation. Zelensky also recalled that in 2022 Kyiv had already tried to resolve grain-export issues through the Black Sea corridor and that work continues to ensure transport of goods 'truly needed by the global market.' He framed the current crises in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf as connected to Vladimir Putin's earlier conviction that he could start a war without consequences, and said there can be no return to normal without Crimea, without restoring security, freeing prisoners and returning to fundamental norms of international law.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The four available Ukrainian-language outlets — Interfax-Ukraine, Radio Svoboda, LIGA.net/LB.ua and hromadske — lead with Zelensky's statements at the Crimea Platform summit. They frame the Black Sea safe-passage proposal as a Ukrainian initiative awaiting Russia's response, underscoring Ukraine's readiness while placing responsibility for any next step on Moscow. The linkage of global price rises to Russia's 2014 occupation of Crimea is presented as a core political and legal argument, not background colour.
Where reporting differs
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov shifted position on an 'energy truce': a few days before 15 September he described energy as Ukraine's 'Achilles' heel' and effectively ruled the idea out, then on 15 September called a possible energy truce a 'very good idea.' The Ukrainian-language coverage does not record any further disagreement among the outlets themselves.
Background
After Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, food prices rose sharply, hitting developing countries particularly hard, and Kyiv previously attempted to resolve grain-export issues via the Black Sea corridor. On 14 September US President Donald Trump said the rise in global diesel prices was mainly caused by Russia's war against Ukraine rather than the situation around Iran; Zelensky responded that Kyiv is open to a mutual halt of strikes on critical infrastructure if partners can guarantee Russian compliance. On 15 September Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called a possible 'energy truce' a 'very good idea,' though he had earlier effectively ruled one out. Russia has recently intensified attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea, and EU officials used the opening of the UN General Assembly on 18 September to seek ways to prevent a repeat of the 2022 global food crisis.