Up to 25 million tons of grain are stuck in Ukrainian ports during the Ukraine war. Is there now a solution in Istanbul? News ticker on war diplomacy.
- negotiations in Ukraine war: Turkey wants to solve the dispute over grain exports.
- grain dispute With Moscow: Freighters to be inspected for weapons.
- Grain Negotiations in Istanbul: Erdogan present at the signing
- This News ticker on the negotiations and sanctions in Ukraine war is updated regularly.
Update from July 22, 1:53 p.m.: After weeks of wrangling over the export of grain blocked in Ukraine by Russia’s war, the agreement is ready to be signed, according to information from Moscow. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu traveled to Turkey to sign an agreement in Istanbul, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, according to the Interfax agency. It was negotiated through the United Nations. “We can confirm that the signing is being prepared. But let’s wait and see, we won’t act too quickly just yet.”
Infrastructure Minister Olexander Kubrakov is to sign the agreement for Kyiv, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres for the United Nations. The signing is planned for 3:30 p.m. (CEST) in Istanbul. Peskov stressed that it is very important for Ukrainian grain to enter the world market. According to Russian media, it is about 25 million tons. Ukraine is one of the major exporters of wheat and corn, for example.
Grain dispute seems resolved – but Lavrov blames the West: “Bottomless”
Updated July 22, 9:42 a.m: Moscow has been criticized internationally for driving up energy and food prices by invading Ukraine – and fueling a food crisis. For example in Africa. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has now rejected this accusation shortly before a trip to Africa.
“Western and Ukrainian propaganda speculation that Russia is supposedly exporting hunger is absolutely groundless,” Lavrov wrote in an op-ed for several African newspapers. It is a new attempt by the West to blame Russia for its “headache”.
In his contribution, Lavrov emphasized that the problems had already begun during the Corona crisis, because the West had hijacked goods and food chains with its money and thus “worsened the situation of developing countries dependent on food imports”. Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously blamed the West for the looming energy crisis.
Ukraine-News: Kyiv devalues the national currency hryvnia by 25 percent
Updated July 22, 8:55 a.m: Ukraine has devalued its national currency by 25 percent. The justification of the central bank: The changed economic situation (e.g. because of lack of income from grain exports) in times of war and the stronger US dollar.
At the same time, it tightened capital controls. People from Ukrainian accounts can now only transfer the equivalent of almost 800 euros abroad per month. Previously, this amount had been three times as high.
First success in negotiations in the Ukraine war: grain dispute seems to have been resolved
First report from July 22nd: Brussels/Moscow – Is an agreement on the grain blockade within reach? And then what are the next steps? The dpa news agency learned from diplomatic circles in New York: The export of millions of tons of grain from the war-torn Ukraine is to be jointly monitored by the conflicting parties. It would be the first real breakthrough in the Ukraine war negotiations.
Grain dispute with Moscow: Freighters should be examined for weapons
Accordingly, a joint control center is planned in Istanbul, which is to be managed by the UN and staffed by representatives of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey. In addition, the parties apparently agreed that ships bound for Ukraine would first be searched in Istanbul to ensure that they were not carrying weapons or the like.
The agreement is said to be initially valid for four months. At a summit meeting in Tehran, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin called for relief for Russian grain exports in return for the export of Ukrainian grain.
Grain negotiations in Istanbul: Erdogan present at the signing
Kyiv and Moscow plan to sign the agreement this Friday (July 22) in Istanbul. The agreement had been negotiated over several weeks with Turkey’s mediation, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the UN. Erdogan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres are said to be present at the signing.
Between 20 and 25 million tons of grain are currently blocked in Ukraine. Before the Russian invasion, Ukraine was the world’s fourth largest exporter of wheat and corn. Russia’s attack on Ukraine and its aftermath have pushed up grain and oil prices.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is counting on the success of the negotiations in the Ukraine war. The agreement is considered important in order to combat the looming hunger crisis in the world. (AFP/dpa/frs)
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