Seven grain cargo ships left Ukrainian ports on Thursday morning after Russia resumed its participation in the export deal, saying it had received guarantees from kyiv on the demilitarization of the secure humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea.
The boats will use this corridor which has already made it possible to export 9.7 million tonnes of cereals and other agricultural products from Ukraine despite the conflict, thanks to the international agreement signed in July under the aegis of Turkey and of ONU.
Meanwhile, the G7 countries are expected to show their continued support for Ukraine on Thursday and send a message of firmness to Russia at a ministerial meeting in Münster, Germany.
“This G7 ministerial comes at an important time for us,” a senior US diplomat told reporters, stressing that the group is “vital for creating coordination mechanisms.”
At midday, “seven cargo ships carrying a total of 290,102 tons of grain and agricultural products are passing through the humanitarian corridor under the Ukrainian Grain Initiative in the Black Sea”, confirmed the UN delegation to the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul, responsible for overseeing the international agreement.
According to the Turkish Ministry of Defense quoted by the official Anadolu agency, 426 boats have already followed this secure route since August 1.
“Unpredictable and dangerous consequences”
Russia resumed its participation in the Ukrainian grain export deal on Wednesday, saying it had received “written guarantees” from Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose country is the guarantor of the cereal agreement, crucial for the world’s food supply, particularly in Africa and the Middle East, has worked to remove Russian objections.
Moscow had suspended its participation in the grain agreement on Saturday after an attack carried out with marine drones against its fleet based in the harbor of Sevastopol, in annexed Crimea.
The Russian army has accused Ukraine of having carried out this operation, which hit at least one Russian military building, with the help of “British experts” and using the maritime corridor reserved for grain exports.
Russia summoned the British ambassador to Moscow on Thursday to tell her that “such hostile actions by the United Kingdom risk leading to an escalation of the situation which could have unpredictable and dangerous consequences”, Russian diplomacy said. in a press release. London denies any involvement.
It took a series of phone calls in recent days between Russian and Turkish officials, including Tuesday between Mr. Erdogan and President Vladimir Putin, and the intercession of the UN, for Moscow to revise its position.
As soon as the announcement of Russia’s about-face, world cereal prices, which had soared at the start of the week, promising to aggravate food difficulties in the world, began to fall.
Russia’s demands for guarantees even as its army occupies and bombs Ukraine “show both the failure of Russian aggression and how strong we are when we stand together”, he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his daily address.
The United States welcomed, like the UN, this outcome, and praised Turkey’s role, but stressed that the grain agreement, initially signed in July for four months, must now be renewed.
Russia’s decision to return to this agreement does not “mean” that it will want to extend it beyond November 19, the current deadline, warned Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “Before deciding to continue, it will be necessary to carry out an assessment,” he added.
Prisoner exchange
On the ground, the separatist authorities in eastern Ukraine announced Thursday the release of 107 soldiers in a new exchange with kyiv, which will recover on its side the same number of prisoners.
“We are bringing back 107 of our fighters from Ukrainian jails”, of which “65 come from the people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk”, said one of the main leaders of the pro-Russian separatists, Denis Pushilin, on Telegram.
The clashes continued on Wednesday with fighting mainly in the east and shelling of 25 localities in total, according to the Ukrainian military command.
On the Kherson front, AFP journalists noted significant destruction in the village of Bilozirka, on which Russian forces fired volleys from an area where they have been entrenched since their withdrawal from this village in March.
Russia had carried out a new wave of massive strikes on Ukrainian critical infrastructure on Monday, causing cuts in water and electricity supplies, particularly in kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian strikes had damaged 40% of Ukrainian energy installations, forcing the country to stop its exports to the European Union, where electricity prices are soaring.