Export of Ukrainian cereals | Kyiv and Moscow sign the long-awaited agreement

(Istanbul) Ukraine and Russia ended Friday by signing, with Turkey and the UN, the agreement on the export of Ukrainian cereals to the Black Sea, during an unprecedented ceremony between countries at war.

Kyiv and Moscow initialed two identical but separate texts at the request of Ukraine, which refused to co-sign a document with Russia.

The four delegations met at Dolmabahçe Palace, on the banks of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, in the presence of United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish and Russian Ministers of Defense and the Ukrainian Minister for Infrastructure.

The brief ceremony took place under the flags of the protagonists, those of Russia and Ukraine carefully separated by the blue banners of the UN and the red of Turkey, which has offered itself as a mediator since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24.

This two-page agreement, fiercely negotiated since April under the leadership of Mr. Guterres, will relieve countries dependent on the Russian and Ukrainian markets -30% of world wheat trade between them.

The UN boss thanked Russia and Ukraine for having “overcome their differences to make way for an initiative at the service of all”.

Now the agreement “must be fully implemented”, he pleaded.

Mr. Erdogan admitted that this agreement had “not been easy” to obtain, while affirming that, almost five months after the start of the conflict, it “strengthens[çait] the hope of ending this war”.

In the process, Turkey said it was “ready” to help with mine clearance in the Black Sea to facilitate the implementation of the agreement.

Some 25 million tons of cereals are piled up in Ukrainian silos, while 47 million additional people have been exposed to “acute hunger” since the start of the war, according to the World Food Program (WFP).

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that the UN was responsible for respecting the agreement on the export of Ukrainian cereals reached in Istanbul.

“Everyone understands that Russia could engage in provocations, attempts to discredit Ukrainian and international efforts. But we trust the UN. Now it is their responsibility to ensure that the agreement is respected,” he said in his daily video address.

“The agreement fully corresponds to the interests of Ukraine”, declared the Ukrainian president, adding that the Ukrainian military controlled “100% all access to the ports”.

According to him, the agreement will allow the export of about 20 million tonnes of last year’s crop as well as that of the current year.

“It’s about the income of farmers, the entire agricultural sector and the state budget. These are jobs. We now have about $10 billion worth of grain,” he pointed out.

“There is a chance to reduce the severity of the food crisis caused by Russia and prevent a global catastrophe – a famine that could lead to political chaos in many countries around the world, especially in those that help us,” he said. he added.

“It is a new demonstration that Ukraine is capable of resisting this war,” he concluded.

‘No trust in Russia’

A first round of negotiations between military experts from the three countries and the UN took place on July 13 in Istanbul, from which a certain optimism had emerged.

Then uncertainty prevailed after demands made by Moscow at the end of the Iran-Russia-Turkey tripartite summit on Tuesday in Tehran.

Russia has finally obtained guarantees that Western sanctions will not apply, either directly or indirectly, to its own exports of agricultural products and fertilizers.

In addition, said a diplomat in New York, the United States has offered “guarantees” that large tonnage ships will be provided to Russia to facilitate the export of its grain and fertilizers.

Due to the sanctions, international logistics companies owning such buildings are reluctant to work for Moscow.

The United States had welcomed the agreement on Thursday and warned that they held “Russia responsible for (its) implementation”.

But distrust remains in Kyiv: “We have confidence in the UN”, but “not [en] Russia,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba said on Friday evening.

Agreement for four months

Here is what we know about the content of this agreement, fiercely negotiated since April, signed by the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, the Turkish and Russian Ministers of Defense and the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure.

A coordination center in Istanbul

It will be piloted by delegates from the parties involved: a Ukrainian, a Russian, a Turk and a representative of the UN, assisted by their respective teams.

The coordination center (CCC), which will be formed within days according to Mr. Guterres, will be responsible for establishing the schedule of vessel rotations in the Black Sea. “I can’t give you a specific date. But at the latest, this will be settled in two weeks, and I think that operations can begin at this time, ”detailed the UN Secretary General on Friday.

Departure and arrival inspections in Turkey

The inspection of the ships carrying the grain was a requirement of Moscow, which wanted to ensure that they would not simultaneously deliver arms to Ukraine.

These inspections will not take place at sea as envisaged for a time for practical reasons, but will take place in Turkey, probably in Istanbul, which has two major commercial ports, at the entrance to the Bosphorus (Haydarpasa) and on the sea of Marmara (Ambarli).

Conducted by representatives of the four parties, under the authority of the coordination centre, they will take place on the departure and arrival of ships.

A secure navigation corridor

Russians and Ukrainians agree to respect a secure navigation corridor through the Black Sea, free from all military activity.

The ships will depart from three Ukrainian ports – Odessa, Pivdenny (Yuzhneh) and Chornomorsk – and “Ukrainian pilots” will clear the way for cargo ships in territorial waters.

Four months renewable

The agreement is signed for 120 days. If 20 to 25 million tonnes of cereals are currently overdue in the silos of Ukrainian ports, and at the rate of eight million tonnes evacuated per month, this period of four months should be enough to sell off the stocks, although a new harvest be imminent.

A counterpart for Russian cereals and fertilizers

An agreement was also reached to facilitate the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers at the request of Moscow, which wanted to protect them from Western sanctions.

Russia made it a sine qua non for signing the agreement.