Kyiv (Union, agencies)
Ukraine's ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, announced yesterday that negotiations were taking place regarding the UN-brokered grain export initiative between Kiev and Moscow and had stopped in the summer of 2023.
“Unfortunately, this grain initiative is not working at the moment, although some negotiations are underway to find a formula for possible assistance from international partners to Ukraine,” he said in an online briefing.
Russia withdrew from the agreement in July last year, a year after Turkey and the United Nations mediated its conclusion.
Moscow claimed that its “food and fertilizer exports face obstacles, and that Ukrainian grain does not reach sufficient quantities to needy countries.”
The agreement allowed Ukraine to export 33 million tons of grain through Black Sea ports, and led to a decline in food prices in the world.
But cargo ships leaving Ukraine via the Black Sea have been forced to look for alternative ways to transport grain in particular, given that the risk of being bombed has made securing them almost impossible.
Currently, most Ukrainian grain exports that were transported by sea, via the Danube River or by train leave.
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