ANKARA: The expiration of a vital trade agreement looms large as the United Nations and Turkey negotiate with Russia over the extension of a pact enabling the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
Unless Moscow agrees to prolong the arrangement, the pact, brokered by the UN and Turkey, is set to terminate on Monday.
According to the Marine Traffic website, the most recent cargo ship authorized by the signatories of the agreement embarked on its journey from Ukraine’s port of Odesa on Sunday. It currently traverses the Black Sea en route to Turkey. As talks between Turkish and UN officials unfolded in Istanbul, there remained no official word regarding Moscow’s stance on an extension of the deal.
Citing UN sources, the Russian TASS news agency expressed cautious optimism that an extension could be secured before the agreement’s midnight expiration in Istanbul (21:00 GMT). “We are still waiting on Moscow, anything is possible,” the source told TASS.
Initially implemented in July 2022, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was conceived as a means to alleviate the global food crisis exacerbated by Russia’s incursion into its neighbouring country. As both Russia and Ukraine rank among the world’s foremost grain exporters, their conflict and the Russian blockade on Ukrainian Black Sea ports propelled food prices skyward on a global scale. Under the auspices of the Black Sea Initiative, Ukraine managed to export nearly 33 million metric tonnes of corn, wheat, and other grains. Russian officials, however, contend that there are insufficient grounds to extend the pact, claiming that their demands to bolster Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports have not been met. Moreover, Moscow has voiced grievances regarding the perceived inadequacy of grain reaching impoverished nations.
Contrarily, the UN argues that the arrangement has provided significant benefits to those countries, effectively reducing global food prices by over 20%. Notably, the world body’s World Food Programme (WFP) procured 80% of its wheat from Ukraine thus far in 2023, a substantial increase from 50% in the preceding years of 2021 and 2022.
