 A patrol boat anchors at Mariupol port in the Black Sea on February 11, 2022. Photo: AFP/VNA |
Before that the Russian Defense Ministry said experts from the Black Sea Fleet and engineers had completed clearing bombs and mines. More than 12,000 explosive devices and weapons were detected and neutralized.
Russian forces also cleared channels and waters with sunken ships and other obstacles. The port is preparing for the first shipment in the next few days.
In another development, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a press conference of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, that Kyiv has no preconditions in resuming diplomatic negotiations with Moscow. But chief adviser to the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak ruled out agreeing to a ceasefire and said Kyiv would not accept any deal with Moscow that involved ceding territory.