Ukraine and Russia have each signed agreements with the United Nations to resume grain exports through the Black Sea. The documents were signed in Istanbul on Friday afternoon by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and representatives from both countries. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also attended the signing. Guterres spoke of ‘a beacon of hope’.
Turkey mediated in the conclusion of the agreement and plays an important role in its implementation. For example, it must inspect ships sailing to Ukraine to meet Russian fears that weapons are being smuggled into Ukraine.
The Turkish navy also has to guarantee the safety of the shipping route between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. The Bosphorus runs right through Istanbul. A coordination center managed by Ukraine, Russia, the UN and Turkey to ensure proper compliance with the agreements will be established in the Turkish metropolis. The center will be staffed by technical and military experts.
naval mines
Grain will be transported from three Ukrainian ports, including Odesa. Ukraine will guide the ships itself. The vessels are generally from commercial freight forwarders, who need assurances that they can operate safely in the war zone.
The Ukrainians have laid naval mines in the waters around the ports to deter the Russian navy. According to Moscow, that was the main reason why the shipping route was not usable for months. According to Kyiv, this was mainly a result of a Russian blockade.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said in a response that Russia will not try to take advantage of the mines being cleared from ports. “We made that commitment,” he said. According to Shoygu, Moscow has “entered into commitments that are clearly defined in the document.”
The deal should allow Russia and Ukraine, two of the world’s largest grain producers, to resume meeting the world’s crying need for grain. The war in Ukraine has contributed greatly to the global food crisis. Especially in Africa there is a threat of famine due to the halted supply. Eritrea, for example, imports all its grain from Russia and Ukraine, Tanzania imports two-thirds of its grain. The prices of grain and grain products have also skyrocketed.
22 million tons of grain are waiting to be shipped in Ukrainian ports. Because the silos are already being used to the maximum, the storage of new harvests is made more difficult. The agreement should also restart the supply of Russian grain.
Sanctions on food lifted
The European Union is lifting trade sanctions against Russia that hinder Russia’s food exports, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova. However, she says there is usually a huge gap between the EU’s intentions and actions. She cited the ‘short-sighted European sanctions’ as the main cause of the food crisis in the world.
At the signing Friday in Istanbul, the delegations of Ukraine and Russia were not sitting at the same table. Shortly before signing, the Ukrainians had emphasized that they did not want to conclude an agreement with the aggressor, only with Turkey and the UN.