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The last grain initiative ship left Odessa the day before the agreement with Russia expired
, 22:11, 16.07.2023
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
On Sunday morning, the last Ukrainian ship sailed from the port of Odessa in southern Ukraine as part of the grain initiative, which enabled the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
Grain deal 120 days longer? Ukraine wants an automatic extension
On Sunday morning, the last Ukrainian ship sailed from the port of Odessa in southern Ukraine as part of the grain initiative, which enabled the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, Reuters reports, citing MarineTraffic. The deadline for the agreement concluded with Moscow expires on Monday. If Russia does not renew the grain deal, it will incur huge diplomatic costs, said Presidential adviser Joe Biden.
MarineTraffic says the Turkish-flagged TQ Samsun left Odessa just after 8 a.m. local time and headed south to Istanbul.
The Ukrainian authorities have so far not commented publicly on this matter.
The grain initiative expires on Monday
The grain agreement, guaranteeing the safe export of grain and fertilizers from Ukraine via the Black Sea, was concluded in July 2022 by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN. This agreement has already been extended several times, but on 4 July the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it saw no possibility of continuing this initiative. Russia has threatened not to renew the deal because many of its demands for grain and fertilizer exports have not been met.
If Moscow does not agree to an extension, the deal will expire on Monday.
Under the agreement, Ukraine exported over 32 million tons of corn, wheat and other grains. According to the UN, thanks to the grain corridor, food prices have been reduced by more than 20 percent. all over the world.
Biden adviser: Russia will pay dearly for not renewing the grain deal
— It is possible that Russia will withdraw from the grain deal, it is possible that it will extend it. However, if it withdraws, the rest of the world will see that it has ignored the need for the countries of the Global South, Africa, Latin America and Asia to obtain food at acceptable prices. And I think it will mean huge diplomatic costs for Russia. This is the choice facing Vladimir Putin, said President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan in an interview broadcast on Sunday by the American television CBS.
On Friday, a UN spokesman said that the organization's secretary general, Antonio Guterres, was waiting for a response from Vladimir Putin regarding the proposal to extend the agreement.
Also on Friday, the head of the European Commission called on the Russian president to extend the agreement. Ursula von der Leyen stressed that otherwise we will face food insecurity.
