Create A Forum Installed
In exchange for ending the Russian blockade on Ukraine’s grain exports, the Kremlin received assurances that Western sanctions did not apply to fertilizer, opening the way to export sales.The deal was aimed at avoiding food shortages—if not full-on famine—in Africa, the Arab world, and across much of Asia.But this is the first illusion: For months, Moscow’s blockade has been designed, among other things, to produce pain in the Global South and raise pressure on the West to force Ukraine into an unsatisfactory peace with Russia....The July 22 agreements took the UN and Turkey weeks to negotiate, but there was only one problem: Moscow had no reason (and probably no intention) to honor the deal. Its blockade was working. Pressure on the West was rising, and Moscow was paying no political price for the food shortage it was creating.It was not even clear why Moscow felt the need to go through the charade of signing the agreement. Whatever the case, its missile strike on Saturday ended that charade quickly—and with it, the illusion that the food crisis had been averted....When it comes to the food crisis, Adm. James Stavridis, the former NATO supreme allied commander, has described how a humanitarian naval corridor could be set up almost entirely within the territorial waters of NATO littoral states in the Black Sea.But the White House has ruled out a US-led naval convoy to ensure grain shipments. If the Biden administration is to redeem its inaction, now is the time to seriously reconsider this decision.It is a coincidence that the Black Sea agreements were signed the same day Sullivan made his comments to explain why the White House wouldn’t send long-range artillery to Ukraine. But perhaps it is no coincidence that Moscow—seeing once more how easily it can deter Washington by waving its nuclear wand—decided to immediately break the grain-export agreement and underscore its malign intention to provoke a food crisis in the Global South.
KYIV (Reuters) - Russian missiles pounded Ukraine's port city Mykolaiv on the Black Sea, as President Vladimir Putin signed a new naval doctrine casting the United States as Russia's main rival and setting global maritime ambitions in the Black Sea and Arctic....Headquartered in Mykolaiv, a strategically important city that borders the mostly Russian-occupied Kherson region, Nibulon specialises in the production and export of wheat, barley and corn, and has its own fleet and shipyard.
Food banks in Canada say they're struggling to keep up with an unprecedented demand they say they can’t sustain long-term, prompting some advocates to call for for systemic changes to address poverty and food insecurity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening to walk away from the Black Sea grain deal unless some sanctions are lifted. The year-long deal has guaranteed safe shipping routes and enabled Ukraine to export grain to the world. With the deal set to expire on Monday, Putin is using the pressure to demand western countries end blockages on some Russian exports and payments.
Now, the world has entered yet another period of uncertainty and although Canada and the U.S. are not among the top receivers of grain shipments from the Black Sea, experts are calling for Canadians to keep a close watch on how markets react.On Monday, Russia withdrew from the grain deal, under which it allowed the passage of ships from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea carrying food grain shipments.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia would suspend the Black Sea Grain Initiative until its demands to get its own food and fertilizer to the world are met. While Russia has complained that restrictions on shipping and insurance have hampered its agricultural exports, it has shipped record amounts of wheat.What will the impact be?While the impact is expected to be felt in several developing countries in Africa and western Asia, United Nations Black Sea Initiative Joint Coordination Centre data shows that food shipments from the Black Sea were meant for destinations across the world.The implications will be felt all over the world, and an Oxfam Canada spokesperson told Global News they were concerned about the ripple effects the suspension of the deal could have on food prices, food donation drives and inequity in Canada.Experts believe that the end of the Black Sea grain deal will make global hunger significantly worse.
This will keep happening whenever Russia wants it to happen until Russian access to the Black Sea (including Azov) is cut off entirely.
A day after the Russian government withdrew from an agreement that allowed for the use of Ukrainian ports for grain shipments, Canada has called on Moscow to resume its participation in the Black Sea grain deal to avoid “further shocks to global food systems.”Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan issued a joint statement on Tuesday, saying Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement was a “de facto blockade.”“This reimposes a de facto blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, significantly affecting global food exports as well as security in the Black Sea.“Canada calls on the Russian Federation to immediately renew its participation in the agreement to avoid any further shocks to global food systems already strained by its war of aggression against Ukraine.”The Canadian government said the Black Sea deal had managed to prevent 100 million people worldwide from falling into extreme poverty.“(Russia’s withdrawal) also impedes the efforts of the World Food Programme, which sourced more than half of its total wheat supply from Ukraine in 2022, relieving hunger in hard-hit areas such as Afghanistan, the Horn of Africa and Yemen,” the government said.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday evening that the deal must continue and could operate without Russian participation.
Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of deliberately striking its Black Sea grain facilities -- and destroying tonnes of food -- since Moscow quit an export deal meant to stave off a global crisis.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Russia on Monday to return to a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain in line with a proposal he made to President Vladimir Putin."With the termination of the Black Sea Initiative, the most vulnerable will pay the highest price," Guterres told the U.N. Food Systems summit in Rome on Monday. "When food prices rise, everybody pays for it."Since Russia quit the deal and began attacking Ukrainian food-exporting ports on the Black Sea and Danube river, global wheat and corn futures have risen sharply."This is especially devastating for vulnerable countries struggling to feed their people," Guterres said."I call on the Russian Federation to return to the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative, in line with my latest proposal," Guterres said. "I urge the global community to stand united for effective solutions in this essential effort.""I remain committed to facilitating the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and to deliver the food security that every person deserves," Guterres said on Monday.
Attacks on Ukrainian grain facilitiesRussian drones yesterday targeted grain infrastructure in southern Ukraine close to the border of NATO member Romania, according to the Ukrainian military.Iranian-made "Shahed" (Martyr) drones, launched from the Black Sea, hit the Odesa region at dawn, causing a huge fire at export facilities and damaging a grain elevator. A grain silo was also reportedly hit. Russian forces have repeatedly battered Ukraine's Black Sea and river port infrastructure in recent weeks, especially the city of Odesa. Vital supplies of Ukrainian grain are exported from the area to the rest of the world.These bombardments began in July after Moscow terminated a deal – brokered by the UN and Turkey – which allowed Ukraine to export 33 million tons of cereals despite the Russian invasion.A blockade has now been reinstated and both sides have warned they will attack ships heading to enemy ports. River ports in the Odesa region bordering Romania have become the main alternative exit route for Ukrainian agricultural products since Russia torpedoed the deal.But these sites have also become targets. In July, a river port in Reni was attacked by Russian drones, while one was hit on the Danube today.
Home
Search
Login
Register