President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, announcing the start of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural product exports and the development of the Crimean Platform.

"I wish you good health, dear Ukrainians!

Today, we have begun implementing initiatives for exporting Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products from our ports on the Black Sea. The first ship carrying 26 thousand tons of corn has departed from the port of Odessa.

At this point, it is too early to make any conclusions or predict future events. But the port is operating, export traffic has started, and this can be called the first positive signal that there is a chance to stop the unfolding food crisis in the world.

Currently, everything depends on the implementation of security parameters for the initiative, which is primarily the responsibility of the United Nations Organization and Turkey.

We cannot be under any illusions that Russia will simply refrain from attempts to disrupt Ukrainian exports. Russia has systematically provoked famine in African and Asian countries that traditionally imported significant amounts of Ukrainian food. And now, amid Europe's extraordinary heat this year, the threat of a price crisis and certain food shortages also exists for some European countries.

So let’s see how the agreements work and whether there will be real security. Sixteen ships are already waiting to depart, and we are ready to make our proper contribution to stabilizing the global food market.

This is also of great benefit for our country, and it's not just about billions of dollars in foreign currency revenue. Nearly half a million Ukrainians are involved in growing export agricultural crops, and if you add related industries, that’s an additional million jobs. Hence the appropriate state attention to implementing the export initiative. This really matters to our people.

Today I spoke with President of France Emmanuel Macron, among other things about restoring our agricultural exports by sea. The talks lasted one and a half hours and were very substantive: primarily defense relations, a wide range of security issues - thank you for the aid already transferred to Ukraine that effectively protects us on the battlefield.

We also discussed macro-financial support for our country. I asked Mr President to help us unlock the macro-finance that has stalled in Europe. I would like to remind all leaders that this is 9 billion euros. This is not small change for us, but important social things - these are our pensions, these are our salaries, support for internally displaced persons, and therefore we expect decisions from specific state actors.

Mr President of France informed me about the results of his tour of African countries - we are now strengthening this direction in our foreign policy. I invited President Macron to participate in an online Crimean Platform summit that will take place shortly.

Last year, we created the Crimean Platform and have been developing this format - despite all threats and significant diplomatic opposition from Russia.

During the occupation, Russia has turned Crimea into a large military-prison camp, and tens of thousands of people have become its victims. Crimea became a launchpad for strikes against free territory of our country... The weak and insufficiently principled reaction to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent years was one of the preconditions that allowed Russian aggression to escalate to such scales. We will gradually restore justice regarding our Crimea.

The situation on the battlefield over the past day has not seen significant changes. Intense battles are continuing in Donbas, Kharkiv region, and the fight for the south of our country...

Ukrainian artillery and reconnaissance have already done a lot to reduce the firepower potential of the occupiers, and this is felt. I would like to thank all our soldiers today who are disrupting Russian logistics, destroying the occupier's ammunition reserves, and leaving no safe place for the occupiers on our land.

I also want to thank partners now - everyone who supplies Ukraine with modern and effective artillery, missile systems. The power of the democratic world is well felt on the battlefield in Ukraine these days.

And today there was another meeting in the format of Ukraine — United States three-on-three: Andriy Yermak and Jake Sullivan, Dmytro Kuleba and Antony Blinken, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi and Mark Milley. This is our regular format that has already made a fundamental contribution to protecting the entire free world. We coordinated further steps in supporting Ukraine.

Eternal glory to all who fight for freedom!

Glory to Ukraine!"