Ukraine announced on Thursday that it had opened temporary corridors in the Black Sea to transport grain, despite Russia warning that the ships could be attacked by Russian forces.
“Temporary corridors have been announced for the entry and exit of merchant ships from Ukrainian seaports in the Black Sea,” the Ukrainian Navy said in a statement.
“The corridors are open from midnight,” Navy spokesman Oleg Chalyk told French news agency AFP, without specifying how long.
It was not immediately clear whether any ships had already departed from the coast of Ukraine.
According to Oleg Chalyk, all ships following the Black Sea from Ukrainian ports “will be equipped with surveillance cameras” to make the journey “as transparent as possible.”
Vessels exporting Ukrainian grain “do not pose any military threat,” an AFP spokesman said.
In mid-July, Russia canceled an agreement that allowed the shipment of Ukrainian grain from the country’s southern ports since last summer.
Grains were delayed in ports due to a blockade imposed by Russia as part of a war launched against a neighboring country on February 24, 2022.
On July 19, Moscow warned that any ship entering Ukrainian ports would be considered a potential target.
Kyiv reacted the next day by saying that the same applies to Russian ships.
Since then, attacks on the Black Sea have increased on both sides, with the Russian army repeatedly attacking Odessa, an important port in southern Ukraine, as well as the river ports of Izmail and Reni.
Kyiv condemned the attacks as a means of preventing grain exports.
The disruption to the export of grains and other agricultural products caused by the war raised concerns about a global insecurity situation.
According to the British magazine The Economist, before the war, Ukraine and Russia together supplied 28% of world wheat, 29% of barley, 15% of corn and 75% of sunflower oil.
In July 2022, the United Nations signed agreements with Russia and Ukraine, which also included Turkey, allowing the disposal of grain stored in Ukrainian ports.
A year later, Moscow refused to renew the agreements, saying that Western sanctions prevented the fulfillment of one of the conditions – the export of Russian products, including fertilizers.
According to the UN, the agreement allowed for the export of “more than 32 million tons of food from three Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea to 45 countries on three continents.”
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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