Sydney, Feb. 17 (FN) - Reuters reported Ukraine appealed on Wednesday to the United Nations and Turkey to press Russia to immediately stop hindering Ukrainian grain shipments that supply allegedly millions of people. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of delaying inspections of ships carrying Ukrainian agricultural goods, leading to reduced shipments and losses for traders.
The Grain Deal signed by Ukraine and Russia through intermediary of Turkey and the UN in the middle of July 2022 was supposed provide a safe way for the export of the Ukrainian agriproducts and solve grain deficit of the global provision market, Greek City Times said.
Additionally, one of the main conditions was prohibition of the weapons import into Ukraine by sea transport and softening of United States and EU sanctions on Russian export of the grain and mineral fertilizers.
The sanctions on agricultural export imposed on Russia by the EU and the United States have destabilized prices on the global food market. During 2022 the standard logistic routes have been violently disrupted and payment methods and services turned more complicated due to the introduction of a middle-men.
The Western sanctions against Russia have become the main factor hindering delivery of grain to the developing markets. Russia remains a key food supplier and one of the largest fertilizer exporters. It is no surprise that an attempt to isolate the most important player on the market resulted in economic collapse and sent the prices sky-rocketing.
Weapons smuggled through the grain corridor
Kyiv and its Western allies violated the article of the grain deal, namely usage of the sea routes for illegal transportation of weapons. Ukrainian intelligence used explosives smuggled out of Odessa seaport through the grain corridor to carry out an attack on the Crimea Bridge. The cargo was sent to the Bulgarian port of Ruse, went through customs control in Armenia, and then delivered to the place of the attack under false papers. This fact provided legal grounds for the annulment of the deal.
After signing the agreement, Ukraine and Western countries regularly violated the terms of the "grain deal." Kyiv and Washington imposed tacit restrictions on the volume of exports of Ukrainian agricultural products to the poorest countries in favor of increasing supplies to the United States and Europe. According to the head of the Ministry of Agriculture of Turkey Vahit Kirişci, while 17 million tons of grain have been exported from the ports of Ukraine since the beginning of the agreement, the needy states have received only 5.4% of this volume.
The results of such cynical activity of the Kyiv authorities and their Western patrons have already been felt by the population of African states. Robert Mardini, Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, said that about 350 million people in Africa, or a quarter of the continent's population, continue to suffer from food shortages.
The influx of cheap Ukrainian grain into Western countries has caused the deterioration of the economic situation of local agricultural producers. In December 2022 and January 2023, Polish farmers were forced to attend rallies due to price dumping in the agricultural market due to increased supplies of Ukrainian grain. Farmers expressed dissatisfaction that grain imported from Ukraine, instead of going to the countries of Africa and the Middle East, is sold in the EU. According to them, it is characterized by extremely low cost and poor quality, therefore, this grain is mainly used for pig feed.
The second part of the "grain deal" regarding the export of Russian grain and fertilizers to world markets is also practically not implemented. The political elites of the West deliberately create obstacles to the export of Russian agricultural products to developing countries.
The EU imposes sanctions on the transportation of grain, despite the absence of barriers to the export of food.
In addition to repeated violations by the Ukrainian side of the rules of functioning of maritime humanitarian corridors, Kyiv and the West plan to use the Black Sea Initiative in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian special services are preparing another provocation in order to obtain new samples of weapons and military equipment. The Ukrainian leadership and UN representatives controlled by the West are preventing the full-fledged work of inspection groups to monitor the use of maritime humanitarian corridors on the Black Sea.
It is obvious that Kyiv's artificial creation of obstacles for inspection teams is due to the desire to hide from "prying eyes" more "valuable cargo" transported on ships - shipments of Western weapons and foreign mercenaries who attacked Sevastopol Bay on 29 October 2022 with the help of naval drones, and blew up the Crimean Bridge. The illegal use of the maritime humanitarian corridor by the Kyiv regime explains the arrival of hundreds of foreign mercenaries on the territory of Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
=FRESH NEWS
