Ukraine’s grain saga: what Moscow, Kyiv, Ankara and the UN agreed on

Russia signed Documents on a “product agreement” with the UN and Turkey – lifting restrictions on the supply of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers for export and facilitating the export of Ukrainian grain. their part of the separate agreement signed with Ukraine, Turkey and the UN. Russia was represented at the signing of the memorandum by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The joint coordination center to be established in Istanbul will solve possible incidents that may occur during grain exports from Ukraine to the Black Sea, and will start working within two weeks. The UN expects that up to five million tons of grain can be exported per month from Ukrainian ports.

What did Moscow accept?

Two documents were signed in Istanbul to solve the problems experienced in the supply of food and fertilizer to world markets. I would like to emphasize that these documents are interconnected and represent a single package, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.

He added that the first document – a memorandum – contains the participation of the UN in the removal of restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets, the second – determines the algorithm for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products from the Black Sea ports. It is controlled by Kyiv. Shoigu added that the agreement covers the export of Ukrainian agricultural products from Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
The term of the agreement is 120 days with the possibility of extension. According to him, security in Ukrainian territorial waters should be ensured by Kyiv, including demining procedures.

in Shoigu registeredHe stated that Russia has assumed certain obligations and will not take advantage of the possibility of opening Black Sea ports.

In contrast, the source of RIA Novosti, familiar with the document, concluded for a period of three years.

Statements from the UN

A senior UN official said that if the parties decide to annul the document, they must notify each other in writing of their decision three months before the expected date. He noted that the memorandum “is not an international agreement and does not establish any rights or obligations under international law”.

The organization hopes that it will be possible to export five million tons of grain per month from Ukrainian ports.

The agreement states that ships destined for Ukraine will be subject to arms inspections by representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations. Inspection groups will also be formed on the basis of the Joint Coordination Center, where mainly military personnel will work in Istanbul. He noted that Ukraine, Turkey and UN representatives will monitor the loadings at the ports. Under the guidance of Ukrainian pilots, they will leave the Black Sea waters along a predetermined safe corridor.

According to him, the routes at the initiative of the parties will be secured by minesweepers, complete cleaning of the territorial waters of Ukraine is not expected, since this will take a lot of time. It is stated that the agreement does not provide military escort to the ships. The Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Navy also consider the ships’ routes safe.

“There will be monitoring of ship movements and we will control this in the same way as the movement of ships anywhere in the world right now, but there will also be surveillance of the controlled area. Therefore, military escorts are not provided.”

The UN representative also said that, according to documents, Moscow and Kiev agreed not to attack ships arriving with agricultural products from Ukraine. He said that should an incident occur, it would be the Joint Coordination Center’s job to resolve it.

RIA Novosti’s source at the UN is also knowledgeableHe said the memorandum includes Russia’s aid to the export of Ukrainian food, including sunflower oil. He added that Russia and the UN, through the permanent mission, will create a mechanism for the exchange of information on product and fertilizer exports.

Western response

From the UN, the memorandum was signed by UN Secretary-General António Guterres. He described Istanbul as a “food deal” and described it as a major breakthrough and noted that the purpose of the memorandum was to “save the world” and provide food to countries.

“This is an unprecedented agreement between two opposing sides,” Guterres said in an interview with the Turkish NTV channel. He wrote on Twitter that the signed agreement on the creation of a grain corridor for the export of agricultural products from Ukraine via the Black Sea was “a sign of hope, opportunity and relief”.

In response, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, wrote on Twitter that the agreement was “a step in the right direction” and called for swift implementation. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, also welcomed the agreement, noting the importance of strict implementation of the agreement.

“This agreement could benefit millions of people around the world,” he wrote.