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Russia and Ukraine have signed a deal to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports, Turkey and the United Nations said, raising hopes that an international food crisis aggravated by the Russian invasion can be eased.
Russia and Ukraine, both among the world’s biggest exporters of food, sent their defence and infrastructure ministers respectively to Istanbul to take part in the signing ceremony, the two sides said.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the deal as a “an agreement for the world”, though admitted it “did not come easy… it has been a long road”.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, whose country provided a neutral ground on which to sign the treaty, was quick to lap up praise for his part in organising the arrangement.
“We are proud to be instrumental in an initiative that will play a major role in solving global food crisis that has been on the agenda for a long time,” he said.
He went on to boldly claim, “War will end at the negotiating table. This is a turning point.”
The blockade on Ukrainian ports by Russia’s Black Sea fleet has worsened global supply chain disruptions and, along with Western sanctions imposed on Moscow, stoked high inflation in food and energy prices since Russian forces swept into Ukraine on February 24.
Guterres said the accord opens the way to significant volumes of commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports – Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny – and explained the U.N. would set up a coordination centre to monitor implementation of the deal.
British foreign secretary and prime ministerial candidate Liz Truss congratulated Turkey and the U.N. for brokering the deal, but stressed the onus lay with Russia to honour its promises.
“Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine has meant some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world are at risk of having nothing to eat,” Truss said in a statement.
“Now this agreement must be implemented, and we will be watching to ensure Russia’s actions match its words.”
Diplomats said last week details of the plan included Ukrainian vessels guiding grain ships through mined port waters, with Turkey overseeing inspections of ships to allay Russian concerns they might smuggle weapons to Ukraine.
Some 20 million tonnes of grain are stuck in silos at Odesa, and dozens of ships have been stranded by Moscow’s offensive.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted on Thursday that Friday’s gathering in Istanbul would mark “the first step to solve the current food crisis”.
The United States also welcomed the deal and said it was focusing on holding Russia accountable for implementing it.
Moscow has denied responsibility for the worsening food crisis, blaming instead a chilling effect from Western sanctions for slowing its own food and fertiliser exports and Ukraine for mining the approaches to its Black Sea ports.
The United Nations and Turkey have been working for two months to broker what Guterres called a “package” deal – to restore Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports while easing Russian grain and fertiliser shipments.
Guterres said that overseeing the deal was one of the most important feats in his career, but admitted nothing could be done to punish Russia if it were to renege on the terms of the agreement.
The U.N. chief said a breach of the agreement would constitute “an absolutely unacceptable scandal and the whole international community would react in a very strong way.”
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who signed the agreement personally, said that Moscow would not “take advantage” of the de-mining and opening of Ukrainian ports.
“Russia has taken on the obligations that are clearly spelled out in this document,” Shoigu said on the Rossiya-24 state TV channel after the signing ceremony in Istanbul.
“We will not take advantage of the fact that the ports will be cleared and opened.
“We have made this commitment.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the European Union had proposed relaxing some earlier sanctions to shore up global food security, though it is unclear whether these terms were included in the final deal.
Turkey, a NATO member that has good relations with Russia and Ukraine alike, controls the straits leading into the Black Sea and has acted as a mediator on the grain issue.
Russian-Israeli oligarch Roman Abramovich, who has also been acting as a negotiator and ambassador throughout the conflict, was pictured in attendance at today’s signing.
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