On The Foreign Scene
The UN-led centre co-ordinating the Black Sea grain export deal has reported that, despite a Russian decision to suspend its backing of the scheme, three more vessels left Ukrainian ports on Tuesday.
The centre said the ships’ movement had been agreed by Ukraine, Turkey and the UN, while Russia has been informed.
On Monday, 12 ships carrying 354,500 tonnes of food sailed from Ukraine.
Russia halted its backing for the deal on Saturday, accusing Ukraine of using a safety corridor to attack its fleet.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack in Crimea, which is Ukraine’s southern peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of blackmailing the world with hunger, a claim Russia denies.
In a phone call with his Turkish counterpart, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would only consider resuming the grain deal after an investigation into the Crimea attack had been completed.
Turkey, Ukraine and the UN have agreed there will be no movement of ships on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Odesa’s military administration said that Monday’s cargoes constituted a record daily volume of exports since the grain deal began.
The minister also stated that one of the vessels carrying 40,000 tonnes of grain was destined for Ethiopia, where the real possibility of mass starvation existed.
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