UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths warned on Thursday that millions of people risk starvation if a grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine, two major exporters, is not extended. Global food prices rose sharply this week, threatening to wipe out the hard-won gains of more than a year, Reuters quoted the official as saying.
The TK Majestic ship carrying grain under the Black Sea agreement anchored in Istanbul (Türkiye) on July 15.
Moscow's request
Under the mediation of the UN and Türkiye, Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement in July 2022 to export grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, helping to cool down the global food price fever. However, the agreement expired earlier this week after Russia announced it would not extend it. In the following days, Russia repeatedly attacked Ukrainian ports covered by the agreement, accusing the country of using those facilities to support military operations, according to TASS news agency.
One of the reasons Russia decided not to renew the agreement was because of restrictions on its own grain and fertilizer exports. President Vladimir Putin and Russian officials have said that the deal will only be renewed if Moscow’s conditions are met. According to RT, Russia’s main demands are reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT international payment system, launching a major ammonia pipeline, allowing Russia to import agricultural machinery and spare parts, and requiring insurance for transport and logistics.
Plan of both sides
On the same day, July 22, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that the country will seek alternative solutions to continue exporting agricultural products and fertilizers, supporting countries in need.
The Financial Times reported that Russia had proposed selling grain to Qatar, which would then ship it to Türkiye before distributing it to African countries. However, Qatar and Türkiye reportedly disagreed with the plan. The parties involved have not commented on the information.
According to UN figures, over the past year, the Black Sea initiative has helped export nearly 33 million tons of grain from Ukrainian ports to 45 countries, transported on more than 1,000 ships. The agreement also helped the World Food Programme transfer more than 725,000 tons of wheat for aid to Afghanistan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has proposed its own plan without Russia's involvement, under which Türkiye would join in escorting grain ships in the Black Sea. On July 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke by phone with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss "coordinated efforts" to revive the grain deal. President Erdogan said before the call that he would "not hesitate" to take proactive measures to prevent the harmful effects of the deal's expiration. On the other hand, Mr. Erdogan also called on the West to consider Russia's demands and warned of consequences such as rising food prices, food shortages leading to new waves of migration, Reuters reported.
Commenting on Ukraine's plan, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said that having Türkiye escort grain ships through the Black Sea is not a feasible option but a "dangerous option". He stressed that whether Russia returns to the grain deal or not depends on "foreign partners". On the other hand, the diplomat said he understood the concerns of African countries after Russia withdrew from the deal with Ukraine, and pledged to present a grain supply plan at the Russia-Africa summit in late July in Saint Petersburg (Russia).
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