The UN reacted to the suspension of Russia’s participation in the grain agreement
The UN is discussing reports of Russia’s withdrawal from the grain agreement with the Russian government, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, commenting on reports that Russia has suspended participation in the grain agreement, Voice of America correspondent Margaret Beshear reports.
“We saw a message from the Russian Federation regarding the suspension of participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, after the attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet,” said Dujarrik. “We are in contact with the Russian leadership on this matter.”
He added that it is “vital for all parties to refrain from any actions that would harm the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is a critical humanitarian program and has a clear positive impact on access to food for millions of people around the world.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, accused Moscow in a tweet of “blocking the grain corridor, which ensures food security for millions of people, under a far-fetched pretext.” He called on the states to demand that the Russian Federation stop the hunger games and return to its obligations.
The agreement, brokered by Turkey and the UN, allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported through the Black Sea.
On Saturday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that “the Russian side is suspending participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports” and accused Ukraine and British experts of organizing an attack on Russian ships and civilian vessels in the Sevastopol area. Britain rejected Russia’s accusations about the participation of British experts in such an attack.
Earlier, Russian President Putin threatened to end Russia’s participation in the grain agreement because of the attacks on the Kerch Bridge. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the explosion on the bridge earlier this month.
This week, Ukraine accused Russia of artificially delaying ship inspections in the Bosphorus, forcing Ukrainian ports to operate at only 30% capacity.
“Considering that Russia is artificially delaying the inspection of ships in the Bosphorus (this led to a queue of more than 170 ships), Ukrainian ports are forced to work at only 25-30% of their capacity,” the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine wrote in Telegram on Monday.
At the time, the UN expressed “restrained optimism” about the future of the agreement and called for additional urgent measures to be taken to prevent disruptions in the supply of Ukrainian grain.
“Currently, more than 150 ships are waiting for passage near Istanbul and these delays can cause disruptions to the supply channel and port operations,” said Ismini Palla, the representative of the UN in the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
She added that the UN communicates daily with the parties to the Black Sea Initiative, a project that allowed unblocking the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and which involves the inspection of ships in Istanbul by representatives of Russia, Turkey and the UN.
