All eyes are on Russia as first grain ship sails
President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was “too soon” to celebrate after a shipment of grain left a Ukrainian port under a deal brokered by Turkey and the UN.
“At this time, it is too early to draw any conclusions and make any forecasts,” the Ukrainian leader said in his daily video address. “Let’s wait and see how the agreement works and whether security will be really guaranteed.”
The first shipment of Ukrainian grain since the Russian invasion in February left the port of Odesa on Monday under the landmark deal to lift Moscow’s naval blockade in the Black Sea.
The five-month halt of deliveries from Ukraine – one of the world’s biggest grain exporters – has contributed to soaring food prices and a global food crisis, hitting the world’s poorest nations especially hard.
Officials said the cargo ship, the Sierra Leone-registered M/V Razoni, was slowly making its way through a specially cleared corridor in the mine-infested waters of the Black Sea with 26,000 tonnes of maize on board, under the watchful eye of the Russian navy.
The ship was bound for the Bosphorus Strait and then on to Lebanon, under a deal brokered last month by Turkey and the UN.
Germany called the ship’s departure “a glimmer of hope in a worsening food crisis” for the world’s poorest people.
Other convoys are now expected to follow, respecting the maritime corridor and the agreed formalities.
Last month, Ukraine and Russia signed the breakthrough pact – the first significant accord involving the warring sides since the invasion began in February.
Before the war, Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat, corn, barley and sunflower oil, almost all of which was shipped from its Black Sea ports to developing nations in Africa and the Middle East. Food prices have soared in those regions since the invasion began, raising fears of famine and leading to international efforts to convince Russia to ease the blockade.
Under the deal agreed, Ukrainian pilots are to guide commercial ships through corridors between sea mines
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said it was a “day of relief” if Moscow stuck to its commitments. “Ukraine has always been a reliable partner and will remain one should Russia respect its part of the deal,” he added.