Three months after Ukraine and Russia signed a grain deal under the aegis of Turkey and the UN, tensions have flared up again as Russia threatens not to renew the deal.
Ukraine on Monday (October 24) accused Russia of deliberately delaying more than 165 grain-transporting ships by extending inspections carried out under an agreement covering these important supplies for many countries in Africa and Asia.
“Since October 14, 2022, Russian inspectors assigned to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul have significantly expanded the inspection of ships calling at Ukrainian ports to receive grain or already loaded and en route to their destination.” , the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry complained in a press release.
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“As a result, more than 165 ships are stuck in a queue near the Bosphorus and that number is increasing every day,” he added, denouncing “politically motivated” delays.
According to the Ukrainian ministry, the delays affect three million tons of grain, which should feed 10 million people. He accused Moscow of “undermining global food security” and called on the international community to put pressure on Moscow.
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On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “deliberately” delaying the passage of ships. Among other things, China, Egypt, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Iraq, Lebanon and the Maghreb countries are affected by these delays.
Russia and Ukraine agreed in July to resume Ukrainian grain exports, which have been halted since the war began in late February, following a UN-backed deal with Turkey. Russia later criticized the deal, saying its own exports had been hampered by the sanctions.