Russia & Ukraine reach a deal on wheat exports
Turkey states that it has reached an agreement with Russia to allow Ukraine to resume grain exports through the Black Sea. It will be signed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and Istanbul on Friday. Since the invasion of Russia on February 24, millions of people have suffered from hunger due to a global shortage of Ukrainian grain. The deal to unblock the Ukrainian port is very important as food prices have skyrocketed due to the invasion.
The country is packed with about 20 million tons of grain. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that another UN-led negotiation to lift the block on grain exports will take place in Turkey on Friday-and the document “can be signed.” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly speech that Kieu was waiting for news “about the opening of our port.” However, a Ukrainian parliamentarian close to the negotiations cautioned against the deal. “We don’t have an agreement yet,” Odessa MP Olexi Hongcharenko told the BBC Radio 4 World Tonite Program. So let’s wait until tomorrow for the final decision and wait for any backlash or last-minute changes from the Russians. “There is an agreement tomorrow and I will continue to cross my fingers that Russia really respects it.”
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Russia weaponizing food
The U.S. Department welcomed the UN-mediated agreement, but Russia is responsible for its implementation. He said he was focusing on getting it done. “I couldn’t have been in this position in the first place. It was a conscious decision by the Russian Federation to weaponize food,” said department spokesman Ned Price. According to 4,444 diplomats, the plan includes: Russia agrees to ceasefire as supplies move Turkey (with UN support) is inspecting ships to ease Russia’s fears of arms smuggling. The United Nations and Turkey have been working on grain trading negotiations for two months amid global concerns about the food crisis. Russia has denied the blockade of Ukraine’s ports-accusing Ukraine of laying mines in the sea and imposing western sanctions for delaying Russia’s own exports.
In an article in the African newspaper, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West and Ukraine of “totally unfounded” claims that Russia was exporting hunger. He praised “Africans’ balanced attitude towards what is happening in and around Ukraine.” However, Ukraine states that the Russian Navy has blocked the shipment of grain and other exports and has accused the Russian occupying forces of stealing grain from Ukrainian farms. If the signature goes according to plan, it will be the first important agreement between Russia and Ukraine since the invasion began. There have been some prisoner exchanges, but the ceasefire seems like a long way off. Kisritsya added that Turkey “plays a very important role in ensuring safety” and oversees the process.
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Grain and fertilizer included
The agreement also aims to promote Russian grain and fertilizer exports across the Black Sea. “The grain export agreement, which is essential for global food security, will be signed in Istanbul with the support of President Erdogan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, along with delegations from Ukraine and Russia,” said Ibrahim Karin, a spokesman for Erdogan. Stated. Ukraine’s UN ambassador to the United Nations, Sergie Kisritya, said the devil is in the details of the deal that all parties are still working on. If signed and implemented, the agreement “guarantees that a significant number of vessels can enter and leave the ports of Ukraine and can export about 20 million tons of grain,” he told BBC World News.
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Source: BBC
