Ukraine and Russia Sign Deals on Grain Exports

Ukrainian and Russian representatives signed UN backed deals at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. It allows the export of grain from blockaded Black Sea ports.

"The deal we signed opens the way to significant volumes of food exports from three ports in the Black Sea - Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhnye," said the UN Secretary General, António Guterres.

The UN Secretary General hopes it will help lower global food prices and stabilize the world economy. He emphasized that it is impossible to solve these issues without "Ukrainian food products and Russian fertilizers."

According to Guterres, they will create two working groups. The first one will be headed by UN humanitarian affairs chief Martin Griffiths. It will focus on the shipment of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. The Secretary-General also announced the establishment of a Joint Coordination Centre to monitor implementation.

The second working group will be headed by UNCTADSecretary-General of the UN trade and development body, Rebecca Grynspan. It will deal with facilitating access of Russian food and fertilizers.

As previously reported, Ukraine and Russia did not sign one document. There are two deals signed by Turkey and the UN with Kyiv and Moscow separately. From Ukraine, Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov was present at the ceremony, and from Russia - Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu.

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the "Initiative" provides that the control over the seaports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Pivdennyi (Yuzhnye) was and remains entirely with the Ukrainian side. No vessels other than those intended to export grain and related food products and fertilizers are to be in these ports.