Russia and Ukraine have agreed on the protection of the Ukrainian grain exportchannel

Shipments alleviate the food crisis. (Photo: Pixabay)

After Ukrainian grain exports stopped due to the conflict in Ukraine that began on February 24, a global food crisis developed, which, according to the UN, made it impossible to feed at least ten million people. Since then, representatives of Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the UN have been working to provide enough assurances to shipping and insurance companies to resume grain and fertilizer shipments from the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhny. – We really hope that this will increase traffic. – said the spokesman of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, after the details were agreed upon.

The initiative has been operating on a trial basis for the past two weeks

Ten cargo ships – which have been stuck in Ukraine since the beginning of the war – left with corn, soybeans and sunflower oil, and two empty ships headed for Ukraine to collect the shipments. The largest ship to date, the Ocean Lion, left the port of Chornomorsk today to transport 64,720 tons of corn to South Korea, the Joint Coordination Center (KKB) said on Monday. The KONDI treaty in Istanbul oversees the agreement, with Turkish, Russian, Ukrainian and UN officials.

Along with Russia, Ukraine is one of the main global suppliers of wheat and other foodstuffs

But the first ship, which left Ukraine under the UN agreement last week, is now looking for another port to unload after the original Lebanese buyer refused to accept it, citing delays of more than five months. The UN has emphasized that the export agreement is a commercial, not a humanitarian, operation that will be driven by the market. All ships must be inspected to allay Russian concerns that they could be smuggling weapons into Ukraine.

esmmagazine.com