The first ship carrying Ukrainian grain left Odesa on Monday as a result of the deal meant to facilitate exports signed between Kyiv and Moscow that was brokered by Turkey and the UN.
Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni left Ukraine carrying 26,000 tons of corn and is due to anchor off Istanbul on Tuesday for an inspection that will be overseen by a coordination center in the Turkish city that includes personnel from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN.
After the inspection, the Razoni will leave the Black Sea through the Bosphorous Strait and will deliver its shipment to Tripoli, Lebanon. Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said 16 more ships are waiting to leave Odesa.
News of the first grain shipment was received positively from the warring sides. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the ship’s departure was “very positive” and that it was “a good opportunity to test the effectiveness of the mechanisms that were agreed during talks in Istanbul.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hailed the shipment as a “relief for the world.”
The grain deal was signed with the hope of unlocking an estimated 22 million tons of grain that has been stuck in Ukrainian ports. Under the agreement, Ukraine agreed to create a safe corridor through its heavy mined ports and escort ships while Russia agreed not to attack the area.
“Ukraine agreed to open a safe corridor”; nice of them; since the mining was by them in the first place. Russia would have no interest in stopping foreign flag carriers leaving Odessa in any case; their concern would be INBOUND vessels that might be carrying war supplies to Ukraine; as long as they can inspect those in Turkey before the ships enter the Black Sea, and ensure they don’t stop at an EU port before arriving at Odessa, this should not be a problem. Zelensky’s constant “urging” and “worrying” is for show; UKRAINE has always been the holdup here, not Russia.
Although, as long as Ukraine continues to strike Kherson with long range fires, they have to expect that Russia will also strike Nikolaiev and Odessa – that’s war.
“Russia would have no interest in stopping foreign flag carriers leaving Odessa in any case”
What makes you think that? The Russian and Ukrainian regimes are at war. Attempting to economically strangle one’s opponent is part of war. Within the context of war, blockade is an obvious strategy, and being willing to forgo doing so even partially is a notable and praiseworthy concession on the Russians’ part.
Because Russia has far more to gain from resumption of normal grain shipments than Ukraine does; first because Russia intrinsically HAS far more grain to export than Ukraine, and Ukraine’s total has in any case been drastically decreased by Russia’s seizure of Mariupol and the grain-growing regions of Kherson, Zaporizhie, and the Donbas. It is in UKRAINE’s interest to with-hold grain shipments, as a means of exerting influence on the world to intervene on their behalf, by blaming “the Russians” for the potential famine.
Russia has been offering to deal on this for MONTHs; Ukraine has been the ones dragging their feet, claiming that “demining” would open up Odessa to a “Russian amphibious assault”, which, given the very small size of the Black Sea fleet, which MIGHT be able to sealift 2 battalions, at best, was a ridiculous claim.
Biden conveniently forgets to mention Ukraine was the most corrupt country in Europe and one of the most corrupt on the planet. I trust nothing they say. Nothing.
Yep, once again, Antiwar.com chooses to report in a way that bolsters the false USA/NATO/Neo Nazi Kiev Entity narrative and hides the truth. Nobody stopped the grain export from the Ukraine except the Kiev regime itself. In any event, as you say, the crop is much lower this year, and there was already signfiicant export by rail and by boat and barge through Romania.
The actually important deal was between the UN and Russia, with the former promising to facilitate the export of the far more extensive Russian grains, food products, and fertilizers, which are subject to”indirect” sanctions and other impedimenta imposed by the USA, NATO, and the Neo Nazi Kiev Entity. Preventing worldwide hunger, the humanitarian purpose which all sides say they care about, depends much more on these vastly more voluminous Russian exports than it does on the mostly made-for-TV farce of the Nazi Ukraine regime finally “agreeing” to open its own ports and guide its own grainships through its own minefields.
Is there any evidence that Russia has been trying to economically strangle the Ukraine? Has Russia attacked outbound rail, river tug and barge, and road shipments of Ukrainian grain, or other exports, from Ukraine’s western and southwestern borders? I have seen no such evidence. So why would it be incredible, or even surprising, that Russia has no interest in blocking grain (or other) shipments from Odessa? From what I can gather, Russia has NOT tried to cripple the Ukraine’s transportation infrastructure, and rail, road, and other transportation services in Western Ukraine, away from the front lines, carrying import, export, and local, internal trade, have not been curtailed, except in the limited case of targeted attacks on shipments of imported arms, foreign mercenaries, and other military assets.
AFAICT, Russia indeed has no interest in stopping Ukrainian exports, from Odessa or elsewhere, nor did it ever have any such interest. The grain shipments were held up because the Ukraine closed its own ports, and mined its own waters, not because of anything that Russia did. More broadly, Russia, despite your repeated scoffs and japes, is actually engaged in a “special military operation.” It has almost completely spared civilian infrastructure, and has avoided civilian casualties to the maximum extent possible. The lights are still on in Kiev and throughout the Ukraine. The water and sewerage systems are still up and running. As are the communications systems. As well as the transportation systems. Russia’s stated war aims (denazification, demilitarization, neutralization) are not compatible with the kind of “total,” economic war you are positing as normal. Nor with the routine destruction of civilian facilities, as well as wholesale slaughter of civilians themselves, so typical of USA/NATO war.
Agreed. I think this is being misreported by the MSM outlets.
Why should Russia care if Ukraine ships weapons OUT of their country? As if Russia think, ‘oh no, Ukraine is giving the U.S. its HIMARs back 🙂 ‘
I bet that in practice, they are inspecting returning ships.
It’s set up that way; all ships bound for Odessa will be inspected in Turkey, then cleared to proceed ; and I expect the Russians will track them to make sure they don’t make any stops in Romania, or rendezvous with other ships and transfer cargoes, on the way.
Russia agrees to let Ukraine ship grain, offers to negotiate a peace, and we keep feeding the Kiev army weapons (and our MIC).
If you believe Russia wants peace then you should believe Russia wants all of Ukraine to be part of Russia unconditionally. That’s the only path to peace they want. Would you accept that if you were Ukrainian? You won’t cause you are pro Russia.
All we are saying, is give peace a chance.
-John Lennon