US, European officials in Ukraine port of Izmail

(26 Apr 2023)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Izmail, Ukraine - 26 April 2023
1. Various of grain being unloaded from trucks and being loaded onto barges
2. Various of Bridget Brink US ambassador to Ukraine and Ukraine officials visiting port facilities in Izmail
3. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Brink holding news conference
4. Cameraman
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Bridget Brink, US Ambassador to Ukraine:
"This is really important to Ukraine because, well, it's critical. And the Ukrainians are fighting with their defenders courageously on the front lines and it's equally critical for Ukraine to have its economy survive - and the Danube River imports are a key part of that. The second aspect is that there's no time to lose. Russia has put tremendous pressure on the Black Sea Grain Initiative by deliberately and very cynically controlling and limiting the amount of ships that can go in and out, which means that people who need the food aren't able to get it. So our effort here, together with the government, together with the private sector, using USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), US government resources, is to try to help Ukraine as much as possible to allow exports out, especially in the agricultural sector, but also to help the world get the food that it needs."
6. TV camera
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Bridget Brink, US Ambassador to Ukraine:
"Well, I think Ukraine is, number one, working very hard to fulfil conditions that the EU has put forth in order to accelerate its own accession into Europe. And those include strengthening the anti-corruption institutions, moving forward on very important steps with regard to rule of law as well as corporate governance, while at the same time they are also fighting an existential war. So Ukraine continues to move forward on that front. We also, and from my first day, have prioritized oversight over this tremendous amount of US assistance. And we are working very closely with our Ukrainian partners to make sure that the money that has been allocated from the US taxpayer is spent in the way that it's intended."
8. Wide of briefing
9. SOUNDBITE (Ukrainian) Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister:
“Today, we stand in the city of Izmail. When we visited Reni, Orlivka, we saw many objects that were part of the so-called ‘Danube’ cluster. We would like to note again, that during the war, the Danube cluster and the Bessarabia region have shown themselves as a crucial region in terms of our export and import. Especially, while the ports of Odessa were closed or blocked. Thus, this region and its ports have become crucial for us.’’
10. Various of grain barges
11. Passenger terminal in Izmail Port
12. Church
13. Various of barges
14. Ukrainian flag, river in background
STORYLINE:
U.S. and European officials on Wednesday toured Ukraine’s southern port of Izmail that’s important in bringing Ukrainian grain to the world - and could become critical if a deal with Russia to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports expires.
From Izmail, which has been upgraded since the start of the war with the help of U.S. and other funding, grain is taken by barge down a branch of the Danube through Romania to its Black Sea port of Constanta for shipment onward.
U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink told The Associated Press after looking over the port facilities with Ukrainian and EU officials, as well as Ukrainian grain companies, that they were exploring ways to increase the exports from Danube ports.
“There is no time to lose,” Brink said.
AP Video by Nicolae Dumitrache
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