Zelensky warns Russia "they may be left without vessels" if attacks on Ukrainian ports don't stop

begin partial quote from:

https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/russia-ukraine-war-news-08-08-23/index.html

Zelensky warns Russia "they may be left without vessels" if attacks on Ukrainian ports don't stop

From CNN's Mariya Knight and Tatiana Arias

Volodymyr Zelensky talks during his visit in Zakarpattia, Ukraine on August 2. MAGO/PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE/apaimages/Reuters

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned Russia it may be left without ships if Moscow's forces continue to attack Ukrainian ports.

Speaking to Latin American media in a news conference Sunday, Zelensky said "we don't have as​ many weapons, but if they continue to shoot, they may be left without vessels by the end of the war," Argentina’s La Nacion newspaper reported.

"And this is what we want to show them," he said. "Ukraine will definitely respond to any attacks on the civilian population and grain corridors."

Zelensky's remarks come after Ukrainian sea drones hit a Russian oil tanker and a warship in recent days.

“If Russia continues to dominate the Black Sea and block it with firing missiles, then Ukraine will do the same, which is a fair defense of Ukraine’s capabilities,” he added.

Some context: The United Nations has condemned Russia's recent attacks on Ukrainian grain storage. Moscow's decision to pull out of the Black Sea grain deal and its repeated attacks on Ukrainian ports and infrastructure "are causing insurmountable damage to the agricultural sector in Ukraine and may further accentuate hunger for the world’s poorest people," Denise Brown, a UN humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said in a statement Saturday.