Reuters
NOS . News•
Grain ships departed from ports in Ukraine today, despite Russia’s indefinite withdrawal from the so-called grain deal at the end of last week.
According to Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Kobrakov, twelve ships sail it out. According to the military command of the coastal city of Odessa, a record amount of agricultural products was exported, amounting to 354,500 tons.
A UN spokesman told Reuters news agency that inspections of grain ships had resumed. The inspections are part of the grain deal, which was concluded this summer to resume grain exports from Ukraine. The country is a major exporter of wheat and corn. Because of the Russian invasion, exports through the ports were halted.
Some of the ships loaded with Ukrainian grain that arrived in Istanbul today for inspection:
No grain deal, but ships leave Ukraine anyway
Moscow unilaterally withdrawn Gabes from the grain dealAfter Russian ships in the Crimean port of Sevastopol became the target of a drone attack by Ukraine, according to the Kremlin. Russia said the UK was also involved in the attack.
The Russians stated that in this way they “could not guarantee the safety of civilian ships.” Ukraine denies the drone attack and says Russia itself is responsible for the bombings at the port. Moscow will use the alleged attack as a false pretext to prevent the export of grain.
Watch the consequences of Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal in this video:
Putin withdraws from the grain deal, what are the consequences?
Russia’s move angered Ukraine, NATO, the European Union and the United States. US President Biden called the unilateral decision “purely outrageous” on Saturday. Another deal has now been concluded between the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine, but Russia is not participating in it at the moment.
Meanwhile, Turkey is making efforts to resume its grain deal with Russia. This country is involved in the original deal; Ships are checked in Istanbul. “Even if Russia acts hesitantly, we will resolutely continue our efforts to help humanity,” President Erdogan said in a speech.
‘Transporting without an agreement is risky’
Kremlin spokesman Peskov described the resumption of grain shipments as “risky”, without giving details of the risks. Nor did he comment on what should be done from the Russian point of view to resume the deal.
French Agriculture Minister Marc Vesnot said France wants to increase exports of wild grains from Ukraine. This may include new road routes through Romania and Poland. He wants to conclude agreements on this matter with the European Union.
