After the drone attacks on the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Russia suspended the grain agreement with Ukraine until further notice. After twelve ships left Ukrainian ports yesterday, three more are now to follow. A freighter loaded with corn is to go to Germany.
Despite Russia’s suspension of the grain export agreement with Ukraine, three more cargo ships with grain left Ukrainian ports this morning. The ships are on their way to the so-called humanitarian sea corridor in the Black Sea, said the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul. According to UN data, among the ships is the “SSI Challenger” loaded with corn and bound for Germany.
The journeys of the three grain carriers were approved by the Ukrainian, Turkish and UN delegations, the JCC said. “The delegation from Russia has been informed,” it said. Twelve freighters carrying grain and other agricultural products left Ukrainian ports on Monday.
The inspection of ships in Istanbul will be carried out by representatives of the UN and Turkey, it said. 46 investigations were completed on Monday. The ships are inspected to make sure they don’t have any weapons loaded or anything like that.
The grain agreement was signed on July 22 with the mediation of Turkey and the UN and was considered a key contribution to alleviating the global food crisis triggered by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. For implementation, the Joint Coordination Center was set up in Istanbul, where representatives of Ukraine and Russia as well as Turkey and the UN monitored compliance with the agreement and the safe passage of Ukrainian cargo ships on specified routes.
In response to massive drone attacks on the Russian Black Sea fleet on the Crimean peninsula, Russia informed the United Nations and Turkey over the weekend that it was suspending the agreement indefinitely. Moscow blamed Ukraine for the attacks. At a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Monday, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebensia said Moscow “cannot allow ships to pass unhindered without our inspection.” The UN coordinator for the grain initiative, Amir M. Abdulla, sharply criticized Moscow’s decision: Civilian cargo ships should not be misused as “military targets or hostages,” he said on Twitter.