Russia pulls out of wheat deal, ships are now unsafe

2023-07-17 16:15:39Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Russia pulls out of wheat deal, ships are now unsafe
Ships waiting in the Bosphorus Strait

Russia has decided not to renew the wheat deal that allowed Ukraine to export wheat from seaports on the Black Sea, complaining that it is unable to export its own products.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said today that it has notified Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations that without Russia's participation, the "Black Sea Initiative" will cease to exist on the 18th.

That meant withdrawing security guarantees for maritime transport, ending a maritime humanitarian corridor and disbanding the Joint Coordination Center at the mouth of the Black Sea in Istanbul, set up to monitor the implementation of the agreement, Russian authorities said.

This means that the northwestern Black Sea will again be designated a temporary danger zone for maritime transport, the Russian ministry said.

The agreement, brokered by the UN and Turkey last July, was intended to ease a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain blocked by the Russia-Ukraine war to be safely exported.

To persuade Russia to agree to this agreement, a three-year memorandum of understanding was also reached with the United Nations, under which UN officials agreed to help Russia with its exports of food and chemical fertilizers.


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