One of the ten Ukrainian ships loaded with grain waiting in the port of Odessa, in southern Ukraine, the order to cut moorings, has already set sail. It is the result of the agreement reached by Moscow and Kyiv last week to unblock the long-awaited export of grain that a large number of countries want to receive. Turkey, which mediated in the pact, has kept its word and, indeed, at 9:17 a.m. (local time) on Monday the first shipment has left, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense and confirmed by Ukrainian authorities.
The ship, called Razoni and flying the flag of Sierra Leone, is destined for the port of Tripoli in Lebanon, but will make an intermediate stop in Istanbul on Tuesday to undergo an inspection, the ministry details. According to the Joint Coordination Center, which was established in Turkey under the agreement and which oversees the sea route, the ship is carrying some 26,000 tons of corn.
A Ukrainian tugboat will guide the ship along a route that avoids mines placed throughout the Black Sea and Turkish navy ships will accompany it to the Bosporus. Meanwhile, Russia has pledged not to bomb Ukrainian ports while Turkey, with the support of the United Nations, will inspect the ships to allay Russian fears about arms smuggling.
Russia has been blockading Ukrainian ports since the invasion on February 24, but thanks to mediation by Turkey, Moscow and kyiv signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 that provides for the export of around 22 million tons of cereals from three Ukrainian ports, Odessa, Pivdeni and Chornomorsk. The pact, in force for 120 days, is expected to ease the global food crisis and reduce grain prices, which have soared in some of the world's poorest countries.
A similar agreement signed simultaneously also guarantees Moscow the export of its agricultural products and fertilizers, despite Western sanctions.
"Today Ukraine, together with its partners, takes another step to prevent world hunger," Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Alexander Kubrakov wrote on Facebook. "Unblocking ports will provide at least $1 billion in foreign exchange earnings to the economy and an opportunity for the agricultural sector to plan for the coming year," Kubrakov added. At least 16 other bulk carriers are waiting in ports in the Odessa region to set sail in the coming weeks, he says.
For his part, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba celebrated the "relief for the world, especially for our friends in the Middle East, Asia and Africa" for the release of the first Ukrainian cereals. "Ukraine has always been a reliable partner and will remain so if Russia respects its part of the agreement," the minister said on Twitter. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also joined the celebrations, hoping it would be "the first of many commercial ships, in accordance with the signed agreement, and provide much-needed stability and assistance for the global food security, especially in the most fragile humanitarian contexts".
Russia values the news as "very positive", but continues without respite to Ukraine by land and air. The departure of the first grain ship comes a day after a Russian missile hit the residential wing of the mansion of Oleksiy Vadaturski, owner of Nibulon, one of the country's leading agricultural companies. The attack on the house, located in Mikolaiv, was premeditated and very precise: it hit when Vadaturski and his wife Raisa were in his rooms. They both died. He was a "Ukrainian hero," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The continuation of the bombing of Ukraine, including those of Mikolaiv, the closest city to Odessa, may threaten export operations. "The danger remains: the Odessa region has been facing constant shelling and only regular supplies could prove the viability of the agreements signed," an analyst at the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank, Volodymyr Sidenko, told the agency. Ap. "The departure of the first ship does not solve the food crisis, it is only the first step that could also be the last if Russia decides to continue the attacks in the south," he said.
