Russia-Ukraine conflict: Putin halts the Black Sea grain export agreement

Black Sea grain export: Moscow withdrew from the UN-brokered deal on Saturday, citing that Ukraine had attacked its navy using a safety corridor in the Black Sea.

According to the UN, there were no ships within the corridor that evening.  The attack has not been attributed to Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, declared that the deal will be upheld and charged Russia of “blackmailing the world with hunger”—a charge Moscow denies.

Despite the negative impacts, 12 ships carrying 354,500 tons of food, including grain, departed Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea on Monday, according to the infrastructure ministry in Ukraine. According to reports from the Reuters, a spokesman for Odesa’s military government, this was a record number of exports sent since the grain agreement started.

One of the ships carrying 40,000 tons of grain was headed towards Ethiopia, where “the real possibility of mass starvation” existed, the infrastructure ministry added.

Following its invasion of Ukraine in February, Russia’s navy established a blockade on its Black Sea ports, holding over 20 million tons of grain intended to be sold as well as other foodstuffs like maize and sunflower oil inside the nation.

But in July, a settlement was reached between Ukraine and Russia that agreed to resume grain exports through the Black Sea ports. This agreement was mediated by Turkey and the UN.

A “massive” drone attack on its fleet in Crimea, which President Putin said Kyiv was behind, prompted him to announce on Monday that the agreement was being terminated. He claimed that ensuring maritime safety was essential and that carrying out grain exports under such circumstances would be too dangerous.