Turkey on Wednesday said it will sign a deal next week with Russia, Ukraine, and the UN to facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine.
Istanbul hosted negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials, the first time the two nations have held face-to-face talks since March. While there was progress on the issue of grain exports, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said there was still a “long way to go” before there would be peace talks to end the fighting.
Guterres was also more cautious than Turkey on the prospect of a grain deal being signed next week. “I’m optimistic, but it’s not yet fully done,” he said from New York. “More technical work will now be needed to materialize today’s progress. But the momentum is clear.”
But a senior UN official speaking anonymously to the media described the talks on grain exports in Istanbul as a “breakthrough.” Under the tentative deal, Ukrainian vessels would guide ships in and out of Ukraine’s heavily mined ports, and Russia would agree not to attack the area while shipments were moving.
Turkey’s role would be to inspect ships to ensure weapons weren’t being smuggled and, Ankara’s mission would be supported by the UN. Turkey has emerged as a broker between Ukraine and Russia and has been calling for diplomacy to end the war unlike most of its NATO allies.
There is still the issue of Russian grain and fertilizer exports as Western sanctions have hindered shipments. The sanctions technically have exemptions for those products, but the measures discourage companies and ports from doing business with Russian ships altogether.
The US has said it would consider writing “comfort letters” to encourage companies to work with Russia on grain and fertilizer exports. The UN says it’s working on a plan to get the shipments moving.
Hopefully us will not sabotage this. It makes sense for them not to sabotage it but this is the same group that didn’t go back to jcpoa.
The same group that is “bone close” to Israel, and, wants to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, is still holding Afghan citizens’ money, committed piracy on the open seas.
UN – Get Ukraine and Russia sit down and reach a deal and help rest of the world not starve
US/UK – No talking, send more weapons, prolong bloodshed, “win” war for “Ukraine soverignty”
You missed one:
RUSSIA – continues its uncalled for full invasion of Ukraine
Not for much longer, I suspect
So, Russia should have let the shelling of the Russian-speaking Ukraine citizens continue? Russia should have just let NATO move in and plunk down missiles on the Russian border? Are you crazy???
Good.
It would have added cost, and there would have been logistical issues, but I have never believed that Ukraine was unable to find ways to get their grain to market.
I also have questions about the ownership issue. Ukraine doesn’t own the grain. It’s owned by farmers who, as far as I know, couldn’t care less about the shipping company. Were it not for US sanctions, it might make more sense to send the grain to Mariupol rather than to Odessa.
If the US clarifies, in writing, that ships carrying grain can be insured without fear of US sanctions, perhaps both Ukraine grown wheat and Russian grown wheat can be shipped out of Mariupol. Perhaps that’s what these “comfort” letters are all about. But these letters are obviously intended to mask transparency. A White House media release could accomplish the same goal, and it would necessarily reveal all of the caveats that make banking, shipping and insurance companies nervous.
An interesting and hopeful development
Good for Turkey. The holdup here has ALWAYS been Ukrainian intransigence; they benefit from with-holding their grain, HOPING to cause famine, in the hopes that this will persuade NATO to intervene militarily. Meanwhile, the West goes along, doing everything it can to keep the much larger quantities of Russian grain and fertilizer off the world market. This fight is between Ukraine and Russia; let them settle it. I am tired of “helping” autocrats of one nationality fight autocrats of another. Just negotiate a settlement already.
Serbian President Vucic: “I know what avaits us. That moment when Vladimir Putin finishes things in Seversk, Bakhmut and Soledar, after that on the second line Slaviansk – Kramatorsk – Avdeevka, his proposal will follow. If the West doesn’t accept the proposal, we are going into hell, and they won’t accept it.”