Russia, Ukraine poised to sign grain deal at Istanbul ceremony

Hailed as a “first step” to solving the global food crisis, Russian and Ukrainian officials are expected to sign a deal in Istanbul on Friday which will free up grain exports from Black Sea ports.

The neighbouring, warring countries are among the world’s biggest exporters of food, but Russia’s invasion led to a de-facto blockade of the Black Sea, resulting in Ukraine’s exports dropping to a sixth of their pre-war level.

Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, were the expected signatories, according to their governments.

The signing ceremony will take place at 13:30 GMT at Istanbul’s lavish Dolmabahce Palace in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

In light of the deal, which was brokered by Ankara and the UN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expected that the blockade on his country’s seaports will soon be lifted.

The agreement is valid for 120 days and this is understood to be long enough to clear a backlog of up to 25 million tonnes of wheat and other grain stuck in Ukrainian ports.

It may be automatically renewed without further negotiations.

Specific details of the deal have not been made public but it is said to cover Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in Odesa, the largest hub, and two neighbouring locations.

The blockade has worsened global supply chain disruptions and along with Western sanctions imposed on Moscow, stoked inflation in food prices since Russian forces swept into Ukraine on February 24.

Al Jazeera’s Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said another detail relates to the inspection of ships.

“Russia is concerned that weapons might be brought via ships to Ukraine and Ukraine is concerned about the safety of its grain deliveries to world markets,” she said.

The anticipated agreement will also “pave the way for Russian food and fertilisers to reach world markets as well” after Moscow struggled with exports as a result of Western sanctions, she said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Friday’s gathering in Istanbul marks “the first step to solve the current food crisis”.

The United States welcomed the deal but warned it would hold Russia accountable for implementing it.

Hours before the deal was to be signed, the Kremlin said it was “very important” to release grain exports.

“It is very important to unblock supplies of fertilisers, foodstuffs and grain to the world markets,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “It is a relatively small amount of Ukrainian grain, but still it is very important that this grain gets to world markets.”

Earlier, the Kremlin had asked that landmines would be cleared before the deal went ahead but officials decided that this would take too long and further risk starvation in the world’s poorest countries.

Western officials said the deal ensures that Ukrainians pilot their own ships along safe routes or “corridors” that avoid known minefields.

Ukrainian vessels are expected to lead the grain ships into and out of Ukrainian territorial waters.

Both sides have pledged not to attack ships on the way in or out.



PUKmedia/Al Jazeera