ISTANBUL (AP) — Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements with Turkey and the United Nations on Friday that cleared the way for the export of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as some Russian grain and fertilizer, through of the Black Sea. The long-sought deal ends a war-torn standoff that has threatened food security around the world.
The UN plan will allow Ukraine, one of the world’s key breadbaskets, to export 22 million tonnes of grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in Black Sea ports due to Russia’s invasion. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it “a beacon of hope” for millions of hungry people who have faced huge increases in the price of food.
“An agreement that allows grain to leave Black Sea ports is more than just saving lives for people around the world who are struggling to feed their families,” said Red Cross Director General Robert Mardini. He noted that over the past six months, food prices have increased by 187% in Sudan, 86% in Syria and 60% in Yemen, just to name a few countries.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed identical and separate agreements with Guterres and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Friday in a ceremony in Istanbul that was witnessed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Russia and Ukraine would not sign any agreement directly with each other.
“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 your differences to pave the way for an initiative that will serve the common interests of all,” he told the delegates.
Guterres described the agreement as an unprecedented agreement between two sides involved in a bloody conflict. Erdogan hoped it would be “a new turning point that will revive hopes for peace.”
However, in Kyiv, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba sounded a more somber note.
“I’m not going to open a bottle of champagne because of this deal,” Kuleba told The Associated Press. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed that this will work, that ships will bring grain to world markets and prices will come down and people will have food to eat. But I’m very cautious because I don’t trust Russia.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy echoed Kuleba’s concerns in his late-night video, saying: “It is clear to everyone that there may be some provocations by Russia, some attempts to discredit Ukrainian efforts and international. But we trust the UN.”
The European Union and the United Kingdom immediately welcomed the news.
“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.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss applauded Turkey and the UN for negotiating the deal.
“We are watching for Russia’s actions to match its words,” Truss said. “To enable a lasting return to global security and economic stability, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin must end the war and withdraw from Ukraine.”
African leaders, whose countries import food and fertilizer from Ukraine and Russia, also welcomed the deal, with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa saying it “has taken too long”.
Ukraine is one of the world’s biggest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia’s invasion of the country and naval blockade of its ports have halted shipments. Some Ukrainian grain is transported across Europe by rail, road and river, but prices for vital commodities such as wheat and barley have soared during the war.
Although international sanctions against Russia did not target food exports, the war has disrupted shipments of Russian products because shipping and insurance companies did not want to deal with Russia.
Guterres said the plan, known as the Black Sea Initiative, paves the way for major commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports: Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
The agreement, obtained by the AP, says a UN-led joint coordination center with staff from Ukraine, Russia and Turkey will be established in Istanbul to execute the plan, including scheduling the arrivals and departures of cargo ships
Inspectors representing all parties on the Bosphorus in Turkey will search ships entering and leaving Ukrainian ports to ensure there are no weapons or soldiers on board.
According to the agreement, “all activities in Ukrainian territorial waters will be under the authority and responsibility of Ukraine,” and the parties agree not to attack ships and port facilities involved in the initiative. If demining is necessary to make shipping lanes safe, a minesweeper from another country could clear the approaches to Ukrainian ports.
The sides will control the movement of the ships remotely and not the military ships. Aircraft or drones will be allowed to approach the “humanitarian maritime corridor” closer than the distance the center sets. The agreement will be valid for 120 days and may be automatically extended.
Guterres believes grain shipments could begin “within the next two weeks,” according to UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. A senior UN official said Ukraine needs about 10 days to prepare the ports and needs time to “identify and be clear about safe corridors”. The goal is to export 5 million tons of grains per month to empty Ukraine’s silos in time for this year’s harvest.
Zelenskyy said that about 20 million tons of grain will be exported initially, then part of the current harvest.
Guterres first raised the critical need to restart the supply of Ukrainian agricultural production and Russian grain and fertilizer to world markets in late April during meetings with Putin in Moscow and Zelenskyy in Kyiv, then proposed a agreement for fear that the war could worsen the hunger of up to 181 million people.
Peter Meyer, head of grains and oilseeds analysis at S&P Global Platts, said the deal does not “mean the global supply crisis is over”.
Traders had been anticipating a deal for the past few weeks, he said, so its effect may have already been felt in grain prices. And the deal only covers the 2021 crop. There is still considerable uncertainty about Ukrainian production this year and even next year, Meyer said.
Before the deals, Russian and Ukrainian officials blamed each other for blocked grain shipments. Moscow accused Ukraine of failing to remove sea mines from ports, insisted on checking incoming ships for weapons and lifted restrictions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports.
Ukraine argued that Russia’s port blockade and missile launch from the Black Sea made any safe shipping impossible. He sought international assurances that the Kremlin would not use the safe corridors to attack Odesa and accused Russia of stealing grain from eastern Ukraine and deliberately setting Ukrainian fields on fire.
Volodymyr Sidenko, an expert at the Razumkov Center think tank in Kyiv, said it appears that Ukraine did not raise the issue of stolen grain in the negotiations.
“It was part of an agreement: Kyiv does not raise the issue of stolen grain and Moscow does not insist on checking Ukrainian ships. Kyiv and Moscow were forced to make an agreement and compromise,” he said.
The deal was also important for Russia’s geopolitical relations, the analyst noted.
“Russia decided not to fuel a new crisis in Africa and cause famine and government changes,” Sidenko said. “The African Union had asked Putin to quickly ease the crisis with grain supplies.”
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Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Edith Lederer at the United Nations, Erika Kinetz in Kyiv, Ukraine, Raf Casert in Brussels, Jill Lawless in London and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.
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