Russia and Ukraine sign agreement to unlock grain and alleviate global crisis

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Meeting in Turkey, delegations from Russia and Ukraine signed agreements on Friday (22) to reopen Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and resume grain exports, paralyzed since the beginning of the war, which is approaching five months.

Long-awaited, the agreements are interpreted by the international community as key elements to alleviate food shortages. More than 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain were stranded in ports — the blockade has reduced Kiev’s exports to one-sixth of pre-war levels.

The talks were sponsored by the UN and Ankara over the past few weeks and were attended by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Choigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov at the Ottoman-era Dolmabahçe Palace.

Until now, there were two main obstacles to the creation of maritime grain flow corridors. On Kiev’s side, there were fears that the Russian disposition was only to be able to attack the country in the southern part of the territory, where Moscow already controls important areas, such as the Kherson region, parts of Zaporijia and the Crimean peninsula.

On the Moscow side, in turn, there was a demand that Ukrainian forces remove landmines placed to protect the strip of coastline. The fear that ships would be used to smuggle weapons was also an issue.

Even before the signing of the document, the adviser to the Ukrainian Presidency Mikhailo Podoliak said that any Russian provocations would be met with immediate military responses.

He refutes the idea that the agreement represents a truce with Russia: “We signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN and it is with them that we assume obligations”, he said. In practice, that is what happened. Each of the countries has signed separate agreements that, in the end, have the same objective.

The documents establish the reopening of the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny, as well as the creation of a control center in Turkey, composed of UN, Russian and Ukrainian officials, to manage the process. The ships would undergo inspections to ascertain the cargo.

The war-initiated export blockade mainly affected African countries, many of which import more than half of their wheat from Ukraine, UN data show. This is the case of Eritrea, Tanzania, Congo, Namibia, Rwanda and Senegal, for example.

The government of Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that the blame for the impending food crisis was in the hands of Western countries, notably those of the European Union (EU) and the United States, due to the application of sanctions against the Russian economy. This, the Kremlin said, slowed the country’s food and fertilizer exports.

After rejecting the allegations in public speeches, the EU on Thursday published a set of legal clarifications to demonstrate that companies can export Russian grain and fertilizers without incurring sanctions. The announcement came shortly after the seventh round of restrictions was launched, which this time imposes an embargo on Russian gold.

“To avoid possible negative consequences for food and energy security around the world, the EU has decided to extend the exemption from the ban on transactions with some Russian state entities with regard to agricultural products and oil transport to other countries,” read one. European bloc communiqué.

The Ukrainian government of Volodymyr Zelensky also accused Russia of stealing grain, which Moscow refuted. Leaders installed by Putin’s government in occupied areas in southern Ukraine said on Friday they had transported Crimean harvesters, donated by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture, to make up for a shortage of machinery, which would have been taken by farmers who emigrated from the place.

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