The “mirror” agreements that Ukraine and Russia have signed will allow Kyiv to begin grain shipments across the Black Sea. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres referred to it as “a beacon of hope” for the millions of poor people who have seen sharp hikes in food prices.
Millions of tonnes of grain are presently stranded in Ukraine due to the fighting will be able to be exported according to the deal.
Since Russia’s invasion on February 24th, there has been a global grain shortage. It has been putting millions of people at risk of going hungry.
Kiev, however, refused to reach a direct agreement with Moscow and issued a threat that any “provocations” would result in “an instant military reaction.”
The 120-day agreement, took two months to complete
The signing ceremony was held in Istanbul. But neither side sat at the same table. Sergei Shoigu, the Russian minister of defense, was the first to sign the agreement for Moscow. While Oleksandr Kubrakov, the Ukrainian minister of infrastructure, was the second.
The agreement, which took two months to finalize, will last for 120 days. A coordination and monitoring center with workers from the UN, Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine will be set up in Istanbul. If both parties concur, it may be renewed.
A worldwide food crisis has resulted from the embargo of Ukraine’s grain. With the price of wheat-based goods like bread and pasta rising along with the cost of cooking oils and fertilizer.
The US has urged Russia to respond promptly
White House spokesman John Kirby states the US urging Russia to move fast. In order to “avoid the most vulnerable people in the world from slipping into deeper insecurity and starvation.”
The pact, according to Mr. Shoigu, may allow “the solutions to start this process in the coming days,” he said earlier at a press conference.
In addition to starting the export of agricultural goods from Ukrainian ports, he continued, “I’m talking about working in this direction with the export of agricultural goods and fertilizers from Russian ports.”
Diplomats claim that the agreement’s conditions are as follows:
- While cargo is traveling, Russia won’t attack ports.
- Cargo ships will be guided by Ukrainian boats across mined waterways.
- To satisfy Russian concerns about weapons smuggling, Turkey, with the cooperation of the UN It would check ships.
- It will make it easier for Russia to transport grain and fertilizer across the Black Sea.
It was perhaps the most significant action he had taken during his term as UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres stated.
Ukraine has around $10 billion in grain to sell
The mere possibility of releasing more than 20 million tonnes of grain from Ukraine. It caused wheat prices to fall 2% on Friday.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine stated in his Friday night speech that the nation has roughly $10 billion (£8.3 billion) worth of grain to sell.
But he also said Moscow “may take part in provocations, international initiatives, and attempts to damage Ukraine.” However, we have faith in the UN. He claiming that it was up to the UN to ensure the pact.
But Mr. Guterres acknowledged that the UN lacked the tools necessary to hold Russia accountable should it break the agreement, adding that such a violation would be “an absolutely intolerable scandal” to which “the whole international community would respond in a very powerful way.
Mr. Shoigu assured reporters that Russia had “taken on the responsibilities” stated in the accord after the document was signed. The fact that the ports will be cleansed and opened would not be “utilized” by it.
The grain export arrangement is a great relief for the Horn of Africa
Russia has always denied blocking Ukrainian ports. It accused Ukraine of deploying mines in international waters and Western sanctions for reducing Russia’s exports.
In a column written for African newspapers, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attributed the “completely baseless” accusations to the West and Ukraine. In relation to what was happening in Ukraine and the surrounding area. He applauded the “balanced posture of the Africans.”
Ukraine, meanwhile, claims that the Russian navy forbids it from exporting grain and other goods. It holds the Russian occupying forces responsible for grain theft from Ukrainian fields.
The agreement on grain exports will also provide the Horn of Africa with a great deal of comfort. The COVID-19 outbreak, a strange locust invasion, and the crisis in Ukraine are currently making the region’s terrible drought worse.
Â
