Six grain ships leave Ukraine ports after Russia rejoins grain deal

Kyiv: Six grain ships have left Ukraine ports a day after Russia agreed to resume its participation in the UN-brokered grain deal to allow exports through the Black Sea, Al Jazeera reported.

“After the resumption of the grain initiative, six ships left Ukrainian ports,” Al Jazeera reported quoting the Turkish minister of Defence, Hulusi Akar. Russia on Wednesday resumed its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, after securing guarantees from Ukraine on the non-use of the humanitarian corridor and ports designated for the export of agricultural products for military operations.

“With the help of an international organisation and Turkey, the necessary written guarantees from Ukraine on the non-use of the humanitarian corridor and Ukrainian ports designated for the export of agricultural products for military operations against the Russian Federation were obtained and submitted to the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) on November 1,” the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

Moscow said the Ukrainian side, in particular, officially assured that ‘the maritime humanitarian corridor will be used only in accordance with the provisions of the Black Sea Initiative and the related JCC regulation’.

The UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed during a ceremony in Istanbul in July. Under the deal, ships transporting grain from three Ukrainian ports travel along an agreed corridor to markets worldwide.

India had also raised concern at the Security Council about the suspension of the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain initiative, saying that this move is likely to further exacerbate the food security, fuel, and fertilizer supply challenges faced by the world.

Indian diplomat R Madhu Sudan said the Black Sea Grain deal had provided a glimmer of hope for peace in Ukraine and helped contribute to lowering the prices of wheat and other commodities.

“The initiative had resulted in export of more than nine million tonnes of grains and other food products out of Ukraine. We believe the exports had contributed to lowering prices of wheat and other commodities, evident from the drop in the FAO Food Price Index,” said Madhu Sudan, Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, at the UNSC briefing debate on Ukraine.

The grain deal signed between Russia and Ukraine with the United Nations and Turkey paved the way for the export of 22 million Ukrainian grains which remained stuck in three Black Sea Ports, becoming a “beacon of hope” for millions of starving people across the globe.