Ukraine and Russia on Friday signed a landmark deal aimed at relieving a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries, ending months of negotiations and sending wheat prices tumbling to levels last seen before Moscow’s invasion.
The hostility between Moscow and Kyiv spilled over into the signing ceremony, delayed briefly by disputes about the display of flags around the table and Ukraine’s refusal to put its name on the same document as the Russians.
The two sides eventually inked separate but identical agreements in the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Istanbul’s lavish Dolmabahce Palace.
Erdogan, a key player in the negotiations, who has good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv, said the deal would “hopefully revive the path to peace.”
But Ukraine entered the ceremony by bluntly warning that it would conduct “an immediate military response” should Russia violate the agreement and attack its ships or stage an incursion around its ports.
The United States and European countries hailed the agreement while urging Moscow to abide by its rules.
A United States official said the deal was “well-structured” enough to monitor Russian compliance.
The European Union called for the deal’s “swift implementation” while British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said London “will be watching to ensure Russia’s actions match its words.”
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