Russia’s actions are delaying work on the Black Sea Grain Corridor and undermining the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a whole. This is stated in a joint statement issued on February 15 by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov.
“Representatives of the Russian Federation belonging to the inspection groups of the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul have systematically delayed the inspection of ships crossing the Bosphorus to / from Ukrainian ports for several consecutive months. In particular, Russian inspectors slow down the duration of inspections, regularly demand unregulated documents, refuse to work during working hours and look for other unreasonable reasons to stop inspections. Less than half of the 10 inspections scheduled each day are typically completed,” the statement said.
He points out that Russia’s destructive policy has led to a systematic decrease in freight turnover under the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
“In the past three months alone, the world has received less than ten million tons of Ukrainian food, and this negative trend is growing. In connection with the delay in inspections by Russia, a queue of more than 140 ships has now formed in the Bosphorus, the vast majority of which have been waiting there for more than a month,” the Ukrainian side said.
In Russia’s actions, we see the impact on the food security of African and Asian countries, dependent on the export of Ukrainian agricultural products.
“By destroying Ukraine’s port infrastructure, creating security threats to the southern regions of Ukraine from the Black Sea and hindering the functioning of the Black Sea grain corridor, Moscow is taking advantage of the opportunity unhindered merchant shipping from Russian Black Sea ports,” the document said. said.
It also reports that the volume of traffic through Russian seaports in the Azov-Black Sea basin in 2022 amounted to more than 250 million tons, which exceeded the figures for 2021.
Ukrainian diplomats called on the international community, the UN and Turkey, as guarantors of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, to demand that Russia immediately cease artificial delays in the work of the Black Sea Grain Corridor .
In Russia, they declared the inadvisability of the agreement
The Ukrainian press cites the statement of the representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the inadvisability of extending the “grain agreement”.
According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin, the Kremlin is “dissatisfied” with some aspects of the agreement because it is being implemented unfairly due to sanctions on Russian agricultural exports, TSN reported on February 13. .
“Without tangible results in the implementation of the Russia-UN memorandum, primarily in the actual lifting of sanctions on Russian agricultural exports, the concept of comprehensive Istanbul agreements and the mere extension of the Ukrainian document are inappropriate,” Vershinin said. .
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, or as it is called in the press, the “grain agreement”, “grain deal”, was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022 with automatic renewal every 120 days. Under the terms of the “Grain Agreement”, a corridor was organized in the Black Sea for the movement of ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports to the Turkish Bosphorus. The Joint Coordination Center is located in Istanbul, which regulates the work of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Moscow deliberately blocks the export of Ukrainian grain
Denys Marchuk, deputy chairman of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council, notes that since October 2022, Ukraine has faced artificial problems for grain exports.
“With the banal delay of ships carrying grain, both leaving and entering the Bosphorus, in this case, for ships going to the ports of Big Odessa,” Marchuk told a correspondent of the Russian media service.
The “artificial conditions” that Russia is trying to apply, he says, are aimed at reducing the export of Ukrainian grain.
“Russia, by its actions, is committing food terrorism, especially for the regions most dependent on Ukrainian products in Africa and Asia. Why is she doing this? Probably, in order to improve their negotiating skills during the war on the territory of Ukraine,” Marchuk points out.
According to him, the Kremlin’s tactic is aimed at promoting its own agricultural grain exports.
“By blocking the Ukrainian ‘grain deal’, as part of its exports through the Black Sea coast, Russia exports both agricultural and metallurgical products. He trades and receives foreign currency income from these operations,” Marchuk notes.
He calls the joint statement by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov a step ahead of the situation.
“This week, Russian officials said they saw no point in continuing the grain corridor. They are starting to negotiate, given that another 120 days expire in early March for the “grain deal” to work.
The current statement is a message from Turkey and the UN on the need to act together, not to compromise with Russia, but to work hard within the framework of the designated agreements,” the Vice President said. of the All-Ukrainian Agrarian Council. .
Grain agreement: 21 million tonnes exported
AAA consultancy agency director Sergey Nalivka says Ukraine has so far exported 21 million tonnes of grain from Great Odessa ports under the ‘grain deal’ in the framework of the ‘grains agreement’. It also explains the essence of the reasons that may affect the export of Ukrainian grain by sea.
“Russia has introduced new requirements for grain carriers and tankers. It looks like sabotage by Moscow officials on the joint committee that makes the deal work. In addition, on average, it is now possible to inspect two and a half ships per day. It is very slow. And on the other hand, exports continue, ”explained Sergei Nalivka to the correspondent of the Russian service media.
He also noted that in addition to the routes within the framework of the “grain initiative” from the ports of “Big Odessa”, there is a load of Ukrainian ships in the river ports of the Danube and in Romania.
“We are not only talking about these routes along the Danube and from the ports of Romania, but also about exports from the ports of Poland to European countries. In principle, the situation is much better than expected, no one expected so much export in such conditions,” says Nalivka.
On stocks of cereals intended for export
Director General of UkrAgroConsult Sergey Feofilov notes that there are many factors that need to be taken into account in order to proceed with the “grain deal”.
“Depending on the situation that has developed, it is necessary to look for different options to continue the ‘grain deal’, it is necessary to continue the dialogue with the UN and the Turkish government,” Feofilov is convinced.
According to him, the grain reserves that Ukraine can still export are estimated at 16-19 million tons.
