Ukraine wants to continue grain exports without Russian commitments
After Russia pulled out of the grain deal, Ukraine announced that it would continue alone, despite the lack of security guarantees. “Even without Russia, everything must be done so that we can use this Black Sea corridor,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told African journalists on Monday, according to a statement by his spokesman Serhiy Nykyforov on Facebook.
According to Zelensky, shipowners are ready to call at Ukrainian ports for grain deliveries. The agreement between Ukraine, Turkey and the UN is still in force without Moscow. Only the separate agreement between Russia, Turkey and the UN was terminated. Selenski did not say how the ships and their goods should be insured in the war zone. Industry experts expect that many shipping companies will not be allowed to call at Ukrainian ports without insurance cover.
On Tuesday night, after almost a year, an agreement on the export of grain and fertilizers from three ports around Odessa in southern Ukraine expired. During this period, more than 1000 ships exported almost 33 million tons of agricultural goods from Ukraine. After the Russian attack on Ukraine almost 17 months ago, sea exports were initially stopped for security reasons. The resumption of grain exports via the sea corridor helped bring down food prices around the world.