Black Sea grain deal put on hold again because of Russia

The United Nations-brokered Black Sea grain deal has been suspended again because Russia has restricted the registration of ships arriving at Ukrainian ports, Ukraine's Ministry of Reconstruction and Infrastructure said on June 1.

Ukraine: Thỏa thuận ngũ cốc Biển Đen lại bị tạm dừng vì Nga

Black Sea grain deal faces another setback. (Source: Reuters)

Meanwhile, a UN spokesman said Russia had announced that it would restrict registered ships from entering the port of Pivdennyi, in Ukraine's Odesa region, until all parties agreed to lift the barrier to ammonia shipments.

In July 2022, the UN and Türkiye brokered the Black Sea Grains Initiative to help address the global food crisis caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the world's top grain exporter.

Within the framework of the initiative, Russia and the UN signed a memorandum on facilitating the supply of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets. Meanwhile, Ukraine signed an agreement with Türkiye and the UN on the safe export of food and fertilizers from Ukraine across the Black Sea.

Russia agreed on March 13 to extend the deal by 60 days, but warned it would end the initiative if another deal was not reached to overcome barriers to its food and fertilizer exports.

The demands put forward by Moscow include resuming the transportation of ammonia from Russia through Ukrainian territory to the Pivdennyi port in Odessa, where this commodity is exported.

The shipment of ammonia, a key ingredient in nitrogen fertilizers, has been halted after Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said there had been a “steady slowdown” in the departure of ships under the Black Sea agreement from April to May 2023 and the average daily inspection rate for ships had dropped to three per day.

Fifty ships are currently anchored in Turkish waters awaiting inspection. The ships are ready to transport 2.4 million tons of food from Ukraine abroad, but some have been waiting for inspection for more than three months.

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