Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, UN form road map for shipping grains from Ukrainian ports: Report

Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Nations have devised a road map to assure the functioning of a safe corridor for agricultural products export from Ukrainian ports, Anadolu Agency reported on June 2 citing diplomatic sources. According to the report, Turkey has been in communication with Ukraine's government for some time in order to establish a framework to secure the safe transit of grain from Ukraine to global markets.

A roadmap has been established as an outcome of Turkish side negotiations with representatives from Russia, Ukraine, and the UN, which will assure the functionality of the "grain corridor" under the auspices of the international body. The report further added that envoys from Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Nations will meet in Istanbul in the near future to discuss grain exports from Ukrainian ports.

As per Anadolu, the grain export centre to be constructed in Istanbul would govern the contact between Russia and Ukraine, which will be handled by Turkey in collaboration with the UN. With the opening of the coordination centre in Istanbul, Ukrainian ports will be able to export 20 million tonnes of grain to the international markets.

Kremlin's Black Sea Blockade

The Kremlin's embargo of Ukraine's Black Sea ports has remained in force three months into the Russia-Ukraine conflict, prompting fears of a global food crisis. Ukraine is the world's fifth largest wheat exporter, and UN World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley warned earlier this month that if Ukrainian ports are stopped, millions of people around the world may perish. Notably, Ukraine borders the Black Sea to the north, Russia and Georgia to the east, Turkey to the south, and Bulgaria and Romania to the west.

On June 1, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested that the food crisis caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict could be alleviated, but that any solution was not imminent and could take some time. It's worth noting that the fighting has effectively stifled Ukraine's grain and fertiliser supplies. While Mosow is a key global fertiliser supplier, Russia and Ukraine supply a third of the world's wheat. Ukrainian ports have been unable to deliver goods to sea due to a Russian embargo. Meanwhile, due to constraints, Russian ships are reportedly having difficulty carrying food. Guterres hopes that both Ukrainian and Russian exports continue in order to prevent a food crisis in the developing world, particularly in Africa.

Image: AP