{"id":16613,"date":"2023-07-19T00:03:16","date_gmt":"2023-07-18T21:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=16613"},"modified":"2023-07-19T09:12:39","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T06:12:39","slug":"russia-halts-black-sea-grain-deal-un-and-several-g20-members-condemn-the-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/russia-halts-black-sea-grain-deal-un-and-several-g20-members-condemn-the-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia halts Black Sea grain deal, UN and several G20 members condemn the move"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Russia said that it was withdrawing from the UN-brokered agreement to allow grain exports from Ukraine through the Black Sea until its demands to loosen sanctions on its own agricultural exports were met. The wartime deal allowed grain to flow from Ukrainian ports to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia unilaterally pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI), an agreement that facilitates the exports of Ukrainian grains amid the war. The one-year agreement was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022 and expired on July 17, 2023. The BSGI agreement was reached to alleviate a global food crisis after Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kremlin spokesperson Dimitry Peskov announced that Russia would not renew the pact after its expiration saying that Moscow\u2019s demands regarding the deal were not met. Peskov added that Russia would \u201creturn\u201d to the deal \u201cimmediately\u201d if its demands about its exports were met. \u201cUnfortunately, the part of these Black Sea agreements concerning Russia has not been implemented so far, so its effect is terminated,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the course of one year since its inception, the deal allowed safe exports of more than 32 million metric tons of corn, wheat, and other grains from Ukraine before it was distributed all over the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russia\u2019s unilateral pullout from the Black Sea Grain Initiative would not affect Ukraine\u2019s grain exports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven without the Russian Federation, everything must be done so that we can use this Black Sea corridor. We are not afraid. We have been approached by companies that own ships. They said that they are ready\u201d to continue shipments, Zelenskyy said in comments distributed on social media by his spokesman Serhii Nykyforov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, surrounded by ambassadors of different countries and UN officials, visits a port in Chornomork during the loading of grain on a Turkish ship close to Odesa, Ukraine, on July 29, 2022. (Image Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Office)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Deputy head of the Ukrainian Agrarian Council Denys Marchuk said that any alternative route, such as river ports or land routes, would be more expensive to use in terms of transportation costs. He suggested that Ukraine should continue to export grains even without the deal. \u201cAs an option, why don\u2019t we assess the possibility of the continuation of the grain deal without Russia? We had experience of this already in November 2022,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia\u2019s announcement of the pullout from the grain deal came only hours after an attack on the Crimea bridge that links mainland Russia to the Crimean peninsula. Moscow linked Ukraine with the explosion that resulted in the destruction of the bridge. Russian sources claim that two civilians were killed and one was wounded in the explosion that damaged a significant part of the bridge on July 17, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Global food security crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine is a major supplier of the World Food Program (WFP) which facilitates the availability of cheaper grains for developing countries. According to the European Commission, Ukraine accounts for 10% of the world wheat market, 15% of the corn market, and 13% of the barley market. It is also a key global player in the market of sunflower oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since its implementation, the Black Sea grain deal facilitated safe exports of more than 725,000 tons of grains under the World Food Program to support humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. A UN body has warned that the termination deal could push as many as 47 million people into \u201cacute food insecurity\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Combines load wheat into trucks in a field during harvest near the village of Solyanoye in the Omsk region, Russia on September 8, 2022. (Image Credit: Reuters\/Alexey Malgavko)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Food prices soared immensely across the world and particularly in developing countries as soon as the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022. The Black Sea Grain Initiative proved vital for stabilizing global food prices after the Russian invasions of Ukraine. The deal brought immense relief to developing countries, especially African nations, which rely on Ukrainian exports and WFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


World reaction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

World leaders and especially Western officials were quick to condemn Russia\u2019s decision to lapse the deal. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he deeply regrets Russia\u2019s decision to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative, in effect ending a \u201clifeline\u201d for hundreds of millions worldwide facing hunger and spiraling food costs. \u201cToday\u2019s decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere,\u201d Guterres said while speaking to journalists at UN Headquarters in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moscow, however, rejected the criticism from the United Nations and highlighted that the UN Chief should persuade European countries to fulfill their obligations under the grain deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned Russia\u2019s decision. \u201cRussia\u2019s illegal war against Ukraine continues to harm millions of vulnerable people around the world,\u201d he said in a tweet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly condemned the Kremlin\u2019s move. \u201cPutin is using food as a weapon,\u201d Cleverly tweeted, stressing that this decision \u201churts the world\u2019s poorest.\u201d Meanwhile, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that Russia\u2019s decision is \u201cfurther proof of who is a friend and who is the enemy of the poorest countries.\u201d Meloni said in a statement that \u201cusing the raw material that feeds the world as a weapon is another offense against humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin is using food as a weapon.

The UK strongly condemns Russia\u2019s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

This decision hurts the world\u2019s poorest.<\/p>\u2014 James Cleverly\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 (@JamesCleverly) July 17, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>