“A Beacon of Hope”: Russia, Ukraine signed a deal on grain export

Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement with Türkiye under the United Nations auspices in Istanbul for the safe export of the grain and foodstuff waiting at the Ukrainian ports amid the ongoing war between the two countries, in an effort to ease the international food crisis stemming from the supply shortage. 

Two countries separately signed “the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs From Ukrainian Ports Document,” brokered by the UN and facilitated by Türkiye at a ceremony at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul on July 22 with the attendance of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Türkiye has played a big role in the months of negotiations. 

“This is an unprecedented agreement between two parties engaged in bloody conflict, but that conflict continues and people are dying every day and fighting is raging every day,” Guterres said in the ceremony adding that the agreement is “a beacon of hope in the Black Sea”.

President Erdoğan said he “hopes that the step that has been taken in Istanbul with Russia and Ukraine to be a new turning point that would revive hopes for peace”.

Shipment in coming days

Since Russia’s offensive on Ukraine began in February, it is estimated that up to 25 million tons of grains and food supplies have been stuck in the ports of Ukraine, and 20 merchant ships are waiting to transport the products in question. As Russia and Ukraine produce approximately 30 percent of the World’s grain exports, the issue prompted a food crisis and concerns over famine in developing countries in addition to the growing food prices in the world leading to inflation. 

Erdoğan stated that the shipment will be resumed in the “coming days” as “the parties reached a full consensus on the departure of the ships, their safe transfer and arrival to the port of destination”.

“The execution and supervision of this extremely important plan will be carried out by the joint coordination center to be established in Istanbul,” he added. 

The center will monitor the implementation of the initiative as Türkiye and the UN undertake the insurance of the safe passage of the ships and of them to include grains. The center will be staffed by UN, Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish officials. 

Guterres said that the initiative included Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea, Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny “to help breach the food supply gap and reduce pressure on high prices”.

UN – Türkiye grain efforts

The UN and Turkey have been working to broker a deal to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports and facilitate Russian grain and fertilizer shipments for months. Delegations of the two countries met for the first time on the grain issue in Istanbul on July 13 at a four-party meeting with United Nations and Turkish delegations. The Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said afterwards that the parties agreed in principle and the signature was imminent. 

Russia has been demanding insurance on ships not to carry weapons to Ukraine as Ukraine demanded insurance from Russia not to attack when the safe passage opened. The insurance of the ships and cargo was also an item in the deal because of the sanctions against Russia.