Ports in Ukraine reopened but Russia threatens to blow up the wheat deal

Ukrainian ports are back to work at full capacity, according to the Ukrainian Navy while in Istanbul also the supervision activity begins. center for coordination of operations. A joint center, a kind of operations room, which will have to guarantee the safe passage of Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea, following the agreement between Kiev, Moscow and the UN, thanks to the mediation of Turkey.

A cold shower comes, on the same day the world breathes a sigh of relief, from the words of the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Andrei Rudenko: "The agreement that unblocks exports of grain, fertilizers and other commodities from Ukraine is in danger of being blown if the obstacles to Russia's agricultural exports are not promptly removed". Moscow asks, as a counterpart, the lifting of the sanctions as a condition for the first ships to sail from the Black Sea ports. The diplomat recalled that the parties have agreed on the implementation Contemporary of two documents: the first concerning the unblocking of Ukrainian ports and the second, between Russia and the UN, concerning the partial lifting of the sanctions against Russia on the export of wheat and fertilizers.

The agreement

The agreement, brokered by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, provides for a coalition of Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations to check the cargo of grain on the ships before they travel a predetermined route across the Black Sea. Ukrainian pilot ships will guide the trading ships with grain following a safe, mine-free channel map. , provided by the Ukrainian side. The ships will cross the Black Sea towards the Bosphorus Strait in Turkey, closely monitored by representatives from the United Nations, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey. Vessels returning to Ukraine, on the other hand, will be subjected to inspections in a Turkish port, under the supervision of the joint control center, to verify that they are not carrying weapons. The agreement covers the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk, Pivdennyi and is valid for 120 days. The agreement is intended to allow Kiev to export 25 million tons of wheat, fertilizers and other agricultural products that have been stuck in silos by Moscow's military forces.

Ports in Ukraine reopened but Russia threatens to blow up the wheat deal