Russia has pulled out of a Turkey and UN-brokered deal that allowed grain exports to leave Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in response to a drone attack against the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea.
In an attempt to revive the deal, the Turkish Defense Ministry said that the Turkish defense minister, Hulusi Akar, is speaking with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts.
Since the deal was signed in July, grain shipments have been overseen by a coordination center in Istanbul, which is stationed by personnel from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN. The agreement had been a success before its suspension, with over 9 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs shipped out of Ukraine since its signing.
Turkey said the Russian personnel will remain at the center but said no grain will be moving out of Ukraine’s ports. “The Russian personnel of the Joint Coordination Center is currently staying at the Center. During this period, no ships with food will so far leave Ukrainian ports,” the Turkish Defense Ministry said, according to TASS.
The Russian Defense Ministry claims the drones that targeted Russian ships in Sevastopol moved through safe corridors established by the grain deal before attacking the fleet. Moscow accused British “specialists” of helping Ukraine carry out the attack, a charge London has denied.
The US slammed Russia for suspending the grain deal and warned it could exacerbate global food shortages. President Biden called the move “purely outrageous” and said there was “no reason for them to do that.”
In response to the criticism, Russia said the US doesn’t understand the situation. “The situation has escalated even more. But the United States does not intend to notice this. Again, everything has been reduced to false accusations of our country in the aggravation of the world food problem,” said Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov.
The grain deal had already been in jeopardy before the drone attack. Another aspect of the deal was for the West to ease sanctions on Russia to facilitate the export of Russian agricultural goods, but Moscow says that hasn’t happened. US sanctions technically have exemptions for fertilizer and grain, but the sanctions still discourage international companies and banks from doing business with Russia altogether.
“President Biden called the move “purely outrageous” and said there was “no reason for them to do that” — Oh, no, no reason at all. US is continuing on the course of provocation which has led us ALL into this abysmal situation. And of course Ukraine doesn’t take credit for the attack. It must be those UFO’s zipping around the Pacific Coast.
Who knows if there even was an attack? The only thing I’ve seen so far indicating it happened is a claim from the Russian Ministry of Defence, which is precisely as credible as any of its US/NATO/EU/Ukrainian counterparts.
Do you have substantiation? or did you just pull that one out of your ass?
What do you mean by “substantiation?”
When I hear a claim from only one side of a conflict, I treat it skeptically. When all sides make similar claims, I am still skeptical about any side’s versions of details, but can at least plausibly believed that whatever it was actually happened.
Regimes lie. ALL regimes lie.
I take a different view. The Washington narrative on the Ukraine matter, I know to be spurious as part of an overarching strategy of global hegemony. I know that the ideological high-priests of this strategy teach the importance of The Lie as of paramount importance to Elite Governance. OTOH I find the Russian reaction to the Ukraine matter straightforward and unimpeachable. Essentially, the Kremlin has no reason to lie. And especially in this matter, attack on Sevastopol fleet. Do you doubt it used the grain treaty corridors for the waterborne drones?
Apologies for the insulting language.
It’s not complicated. I learned this the hard way as a young corporal in Saudi Arabia hearing that Iraqi troops were throwing babies against walls to steal their incubators, etc.
Maybe (as reports continue to come in, I’m now at “almost certainly”) there was a drone attack. Maybe (it would not surprise me) that attack took advantage of the grain corridors. Maybe that attack resulted in no casualties and only minor damage to one ship (based on the Moskva incident, I’d bet it was worse).
I don’t pretend to know things I don’t know. And I don’t pretend that the Russian MoD, the US DoD, et al. are inherently credible information sources. They release the information that it serves them to release. They don’t release the information that it doesn’t serve them to release. And they’re not above making sh*t up.
And all regimes steal too.
I saw a video that was taken from one of the drones involved in the attack. But I have no way to validate the content.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2022/oct/30/footage-appears-to-show-drone-boat-attack-on-russian-ships-in-crimea-video
Thanks for that information?
The US slammed Russia for suspending the grain deal…
how dare you withhold the grain even though we attacked your grain shipment
Reuters is reporting that Russia has allowed several ships to leave Odessa after the announcement. Perhaps Turk intervention was promising enough to win some leniency.
Turkey understands that the US did not do enough to assure equitable treatment towards shipments carrying Russian grain and fertilizer. That issue, in my opinion, is far more important than the drone attacks. My hunch is that the US needs to provide credible assurances that companies involved in these shipments from Russia will not be targeted for current or future sanctions, despite the agreement.
This from Reuters: “Even if Russia behaves hesitantly because it didn’t receive the same benefits, we will continue decisively our efforts to serve humanity,” Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who helped mediate the grain deal, said in a speech.
“Turkey in Talks With Russia, Ukraine on Resuming Grain Deal”
How about NET or NO or NOT EVER! Russia needs to blockade Ukraine and sink any ship trying to enter or leave the port of Odessa! Especially any British ship!
We want to “bleed” Russia, while at the same time expecting Russia to keep up with allowing grain to be shipped, along with potash (for fertilizer). One of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.