Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured Monday that Ukraine is prepared to continue exporting cereals after Russia has abandoned the historic agreement negotiated with Turkey and the UN to unlock deliveries from the largest producer.
“We are not afraid. We were contacted by boat-owning companies. They said they are ready to continue shipments,” Zelensky stressed.
Turkey’s president said Monday that he believes his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, “wants to keep” the agreement on the export of grain from Ukrainian ports, hours after Moscow confirmed the suspension of the pact.
As part of efforts to maintain the viability of the grain deal, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will also contact his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Turkey’s state news agency Anatolia reported, without giving more details.
Turkey -along with the United Nations- was one of the mediators of the grain agreement, also known as the Black Sea Initiative, which was signed by Ukraine and Russia in July 2022 in Istanbul.
In addition to Ukrainian grain, the document also covered the export of Russian fertilizers and food products. Following further 120-day extension periods, the agreement was renewed for 60 days last May, despite resistance from Moscow.
The current extension of the agreement ended on Monday night, but even before the end of the term, the Russian Presidency announced the suspension of the protocol, arguing that the commitments made in relation to the Russian side were not fulfilled.
According to United Nations data, since the entry into force of the agreement, about 33 million tons of cereals have been shipped from the ports of southern Ukraine.
In recent weeks, Russia has repeatedly pointed out that, on the one hand, the agreement has become more of a trade pact than a humanitarian one, and, on the other, that the Russian memorandum remains unfulfilled.
Moscow has challenged restrictions on its exports of fertilizers and food products, alleging that its agricultural sector is hurt by sanctions imposed by the West after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia and Ukraine are the world’s main suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food products.
Source: TSF
