Even after Russia suspended the international grain agreement, several freighters set off off the Ukrainian Black Sea coast on Monday.
This was shown by the ship tracking services vesselfinder.com and marinetraffic.com. These included the freighter African Robin, which was loaded with wheat, according to the United Nations, the freighter SK Friendship, which was loaded with soybeans, and the Sealock, which was loaded with peas.
According to the United Nations, these ships along with three other freighters set out from Ukrainian waters on Sunday in the direction of the Black Sea corridor protected by the agreement. The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure also named a ship called “Ikaria Angel” that sails on behalf of the UN World Food Program. The cargo of 40,000 tons of grain is destined for Ethiopia.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar plans to call his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu this evening about the suspension of the grain agreement. Grain exports from Ukraine must continue, Akar said on Monday, according to his ministry. He is also in contact with the Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov. “The suspension of this initiative will not benefit anyone,” but affects all of humanity, Akar said.
Kremlin calls Black Sea transports without Russia risky
The Kremlin, however, called Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea risky without Russian involvement. If Russia says it cannot guarantee safe shipping in this sea area, the international agreement on exports is “not so easy to implement”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday in Moscow, according to Russian agencies. The grain initiative would then “take on a different character, much riskier, more dangerous and without guarantees.”
Russia on Saturday suspended the deal on Ukrainian grain exports brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July. However, the UN, Ankara and Kyiv agreed on Sunday to continue the transports without the assurance of safe passage through Russia. The Russian representatives in the joint coordination center in Istanbul have been informed. Ship trackers showed a whole convoy of cargo ships heading for the Bosphorus from Ukrainian ports on Monday afternoon.
Peskov said Moscow is ready to compensate recipient countries who will receive less grain as a result of Russia’s exit from the agreement. How this will look in practice is a difficult question.
