Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is not convinced Russia will hold up its end of a deal to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports to grain exports.
Russia and Ukraine signed separate deals with Turkey and the United Nations on Friday to clear the way to export millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as Russian grain and fertilizer, ending a war-torn standoff that had threatened the food security around the world.
Asked Friday if he trusted Russia to uphold its end of the deal, Trudeau said he had almost no faith in Moscow.
“Canada’s confidence in the reliability of Russia is virtually nil. They have shown nothing but little faith,” Trudeau told reporters during a media availability.
Russia and Ukraine, both among the world’s biggest food exporters, sent their respective defense and infrastructure ministers to Istanbul to take part in a signing ceremony, the two sides said.
LOOK | Trudeau discusses deal to export grain from Ukraine:
Trudeau reacts to the news of an agreement between Ukraine and Russia on grain exports
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada will work together with international counterparts to export grain from Ukrainian silos safely, but is skeptical of Russia’s reliability in the deal to export millions of tonnes of grain from the ports blocked from the Black Sea.
Russia Created World Food and Energy Crises: Trudeau
The blockade of Russia’s Black Sea fleet has worsened global supply chain disruptions and, along with Western sanctions imposed on Moscow, fueled high food and energy inflation since Russian forces swept into Ukraine on 24 of February
Trudeau accused Russia of creating both crises by invading Ukraine.
“They have precipitated a global energy crisis, a global food crisis with their illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the rest of us have been working very, very hard to try to mitigate these problems around the world,” he said.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed separate agreements with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. The ceremony was witnessed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sit as representatives of Ukraine and Russia shake hands during a signing ceremony in Istanbul on Friday. (Khalil Hamra/The Associated Press)
UN chief says deal is ‘beacon of hope’
“Today there is a lighthouse in the Black Sea,” Guterres said. “A beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever.”
“You have overcome obstacles and put aside differences to pave the way for an initiative that will serve the common interests of all,” he said, addressing the Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
Trudeau said he spoke with Guterres in recent weeks and was “optimistic” about the deal, but added he wants to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and security are not jeopardized.
“That’s what we’re going to be watching very, very closely to make sure that this doesn’t put Ukraine at further risk,” he said.
Trudeau’s agriculture minister struck a more optimistic note on Friday.
“I sincerely hope that this agreement will go ahead and that [Ukraine] they will be able to export their cereals and other food products to countries that need it,” said Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau at a press conference.
Restarting grain shipments is an “important test,” says expert
Before the war, Ukraine typically exported five to six million tons of grain each month. Getting exports back to those levels may be difficult even with this new deal in place, said Joseph Glauber, a former chief economist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“That’s going to take time, I think, and it’s going to be very tenuous in the short term,” he said.
Glauber said it could be difficult to find insurance companies willing to insure ships and grain shipments while the conflict continues.
“We hope this will lead to further normalization [of] agribusiness and so the insurance companies can come back and say, ‘OK, well, we’re willing to take those risks,'” he said. “I think that will be the main test, frankly.”