On Wednesday, following a meeting in Istanbul, representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations (UN) agreed to facilitate the safe transfer of Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea after months of deliberations.
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said the meeting took place in a “positive and constructive atmosphere,” and all parties agreed to establish a “coordination centre” in Istanbul to oversee transfers. He added that representatives from all parties will be at the centre, which will establish “joint controls at the port exit and arrival points” and ensure “navigational safety on the transfer routes.”
Akar noted that the agreement was “an important step taken to contribute to the solution of the food crisis” affecting the world. Furthermore, he said the Ukrainian and Russian delegations would meet in Turkey next week to review and finalise the agreement.
Problem 2: Inspections. Russia had been demanding its own inspectors check that vessels are only carrying grains, returning to UA ports empty. UN security council diplomat told @farnazfassihi there had been a breakthrough on this: Turkish officials would carry out inspections
— Matina Stevis-Gridneff (@MatinaStevis) July 13, 2022
Following its invasion of Ukraine in February, Russia imposed a naval blockade that left dozens of ships and over 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain exports stuck at ports. This led to rising demand for grains, skyrocketing food prices, and the depletion of wheat reserves in countries that are entirely dependent on wheat from Ukraine and Russia, such as Egypt and Lebanon.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the war’s impact on the global food market could lead an additional 11 million to 19 million people to chronic hunger by the end of the year.
In this regard, the four-way deal to resolve the grain crisis was hailed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres as a “critical step forward” to allow the “safe and secure export” of grains from Ukraine. He added that the deal was a “ray of hope to ease human suffering and alleviate hunger around the world [and] bring a measure of much-needed stability to the global food system.”
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 14 July 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) July 14, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/ooeYS0oJa7
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/3TkIw6XCNU
“Today is an important and substantive step. A step on the way to a comprehensive agreement. We must also do more for struggling people and developing countries getting pummelled by a food, energy and financial crises not of their making,” he emphasised.
Weighing in on the deal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would benefit Ukraine and the whole world, and thanked the UN and Turkey for their efforts. “If we manage to remove the Russian threat to navigation in the Black Sea, it will remove the severity of the world food crisis.”
While Russia welcomed the deal, saying that it would lead to the speedy transfer of grains, it added that it would need to verify the contents of the agreement before finalising. A senior foreign ministry official said Russia wants to control and inspect vessels to and from Ukraine to prevent arms smuggling.