“This is a critical step forward in efforts to overcome global food insecurity caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. “Its success will depend on the swift and good faith implementation of today’s agreement.”
A port in Odessa, Ukraine, on March 15. Credit: Salwan Georges/Washington Post
Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia’s invasion and naval blockade have halted shipments. Some grain from Ukraine is transported across Europe by rail, road and river, but prices for vital commodities such as wheat and barley have soared during the nearly five-month war.
Guterres said the plan, known as the Black Sea Initiative, paves the way for significant volumes of commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports: Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
“It will help stabilize world food prices, which were already at record levels even before the war – a real nightmare for developing countries,” Guterres added.
The agreement provides for the safe passage of ships through heavily mined waters. A coordination center will be established in Istanbul, with UN staff, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials, to monitor the ships and run the process through specific corridors. Ships will undergo inspections to ensure they are not carrying weapons.
A senior United Nations official said the cargo ships would use “safe channels” identified by Ukraine while sailing in and out of ports and would be guided by Ukrainian pilots. The plan does not envisage further demining of Ukraine’s territorial waters, which would have delayed the process.
No military vessel would be used as an escort, but a minesweeper would be on standby in case the secure channels “need an occasional check,” the official said.
A farmer harvests crops in a field around a crater left by a Russian rocket 10 km from the front line in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, on July 4. Credit: AP
Ships entering Ukrainian ports would be screened by inspection teams that would include representatives from all parties involved to ensure there are no weapons on board. The unloading of grain on ships will also be controlled.
A key element of the deal is an agreement by Russia and Ukraine that there will be no attacks on either ship, the official said.
It will be several weeks before the deal is fully operational, the official noted, saying Ukraine needs about 10 days to prepare the ports and also needs time to “identify and be clear about safe corridors.”
An initial movement of ships could be possible sooner “just to show that they can work,” the official said.
The goal is to export about 5 million tons of grains a month to empty Ukraine’s silos in time for the new harvest, according to the UN official. The agreement is for a renewable period of 120 days.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the deal to unlock about $10 billion ($14 billion) in grain exports, but on the war, he said there could be no ceasefire if the lost territory was not recovered.
“Freezing the conflict with the Russian Federation means a pause that gives the Russian Federation a break to rest,” he told The Wall Street Journal.
“Society believes that first all territories must be liberated, and then we can negotiate what to do and how we might live in the coming centuries.”
Guterres first raised the critical need to return Ukraine’s agricultural production and Russia’s grain and fertilizer to world markets in late April during meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Zelensky in Kyiv.
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He proposed a pact in early June amid fears the war was jeopardizing food supplies for many developing countries and could worsen hunger for up to 181 million people.
Guterres described the agreement as an unprecedented agreement between two sides involved in a bloody conflict. Erdogan said he hoped the initiative would be “a new turning point that will revive hopes for peace.”
Before the deal, Russian and Ukrainian officials blamed each other for blocked grain shipments. Moscow accused Ukraine of failing to remove sea mines from ports to allow safe transport and insisted on its right to check arriving ships for weapons. Ukraine argued that Russia’s port blockade and missile launch from the Black Sea made any safe shipment impossible.
AP