Concern over Russia’s indefinite ‘freeze’ on grain deal – New fears of food crisis

Intense concern has been caused by Russia’s decision to withdraw “indefinitely” from the Black Sea grain agreement.

In the letter he sent to the United Nations he informs, according to Reutersthat “as of today” he is “indefinitely” suspending the Black Sea grain agreement which allowed the export of vital foodstuffs from the occupied parts of southern Ukraine.

According to the Reuters agency, which has seen the content of the letter, Russia says that after what it denounced as attacks on its naval fleet in the Black Sea, involving British and Ukrainian forces, it cannot “guarantee the safety of its civilian ships”. traveling under the terms of the internationally negotiated grain agreement.

The The United Nations reacted immediately after Moscow’s announcements saying how they are in contact with the Russian authorities as stated by the UN representative, Stefan Dujaric.

“It is vital that all parties refrain from any action that would jeopardize the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is a critical humanitarian effort that is clearly having a positive impact on food access for millions of people around the world Dujaric underlined.

This decision from Russia is coming after heavy accusations he launched against Britain that “representatives” of a unit of the British Royal Navy blew up the Nord Stream natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea but also after the accusations against Ukraine that together with Britain they launched an attack against the Black Sea fleet in the Crimea. The Russian military claimed to have “destroyed” nine aerial drones and seven sea drones in the early Saturday attack on the port.

According to Russian authorities, this attack caused “minor damage” to a ship. Moscow maintains that the targeted ships were involved in protecting convoys tasked with exporting Ukrainian grain.

Moscow forces even claim that British “experts”, who they said were based in the southern Ukrainian city of Ochakiv, helped prepare and train Kiev to carry out the strike.

Ukraine: Russia’s decision is a “false pretext”.

Ukraine’s foreign minister has accused Moscow of using a “false pretext” to suspend its participation in the deal to export products from Ukrainian ports.

“I call on all states to demand that Russia stop the hunger games and recommit to its obligations,” Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twitter.

The fear of the food crisis is reawakening

The Black Sea Grains Initiative was signed on July 22 in Turkey and since then several million tons of wheat, maize, sunflower oil, oats, canola and soybeans have been exported from Ukraine.

In July, after months of negotiations, ministers from both Ukraine and Russia signed an accord brokered by the UN and Turkey. Russia has pledged to unblock Black Sea ports to allow the safe passage of grain and oilseeds – some of Ukraine’s most important exports.

The deal was set to expire next month, and Moscow officials had questioned whether to extend their participation.

Before the war, Ukraine and Russia accounted for nearly a quarter of the world’s grain exports until those shipments were severely disrupted for nearly six months. Ukraine is the world’s leading producer and exporter of sunflower oil, oil and seeds, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. It is also the seventh largest producer of wheat in the world.

The importance of the agreement signed is huge as helped address the growing food crisis caused, in part, by Russia’s war in Ukraine. The first ship departed the port of Odessa, Ukraine on August 1st carrying more than 26,000 metric tons of corn. Since then, nearly 400 ships carrying a total of 9 million metric tons have left Ukrainian ports.

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