1. Russia and Ukraine agree to further extend the Black Sea grain deal by four months
Tags: Russia-Ukraine International News
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to extend the Black sea grain deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkiye by another 120 days. The agreement which was originally signed on 22 July 2022 was set to expire on 19 November 2022. The deal allows grain exports from the designated Ukrainian Black Sea port through a safe corridor in the Black Sea.
The agreement was reached between Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the United Nations at Istanbul, Turkiye.
The deal faced its first major crisis when Russia announced that it was suspending the agreement on 29 October 2022 after Ukraine attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol. However later Russia agreed to continue the deal.
The deal will continue with the existing provisions. Ships will carry grain from three Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny .They will travel through the humanitarian corridor set up in the Black Sea and stop in Istanbul for inspection before continuing to the final destination.
The grain deal is vital for many African countries as they face crop failure due to weather extremes and internal conflicts. The nations that will benefit from the deal include Egypt , Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan Senegal, Rwanda, Congo, Libya, Tanzania and Namibia.
2. Russia suspends UN backed Black sea grain deal with Ukraine
Tags: Russia-Ukraine International Relations
Russia on 29 October 2022 announced that it was suspending participation in the United Nations and Turkiye brokered black sea grain deal. The Russian move has been condemned by the United States President Joe Biden saying it will increase starvation in the world.
More than 9 million tonnes of corn, wheat, sunflower products, barley, rapeseed and soya have been exported under the deal, signed on 22July 2022.
Why Russian pulled out of the deal
According to the Russian Defence ministry, Ukraine attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula with 16 drones early on 29 October 2022, and that British navy "specialists" had helped coordinate the "terrorist" attack. It also accused British navy personnel of blowing up the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month.
It said that Russia is no longer able to guarantee the safety of the civilian ship under the agreement.
Black Sea grain deal
- President Vladimir Putin ordered Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 in an offensive he said was aimed at “demilitarising” and "denazifying" Ukraine. The Russian Naval fleet later blockaded the Black sea port of Ukraine which was a major grain shipment port for Ukraine.
- The blockade halted the shipment of grains from one of the biggest exporters of grains in the world where 5 million tonnes of grains used to be shipped per month.
- This precipitated a sharp increase in food prices across the world, sparking fear of famine in parts of Africa.
- Ukraine, Russia, Turkiye and the United Nation signed an agreement on 22 July 2022 in Istanbul ,Turkiye to unblock Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports.
- When the agreement was signed, the U.N. World Food Programme said some 47 million people had moved into "acute hunger" as the war halted Ukrainian shipments.
- The agreement which is set to expire on 19 November 2022 established a safe corridor for the Ukrainian grain ships and Russia guaranteed the safety of the civilian ship.
