Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Two cargo ships leave ports despite Moscow’s grain exports deal pullout

Two cargo ships loaded with grain left Ukrainian ports on Monday and took the humanitarian maritime corridor to Turkey, despite Russia’s pullout, according to the Marine Traffic website.
A total of 12 cargo ships are due to leave the Black Sea ports controlled by Ukraine on Monday, and four others are heading for them.

One of those, under a Turkish flag, has already set sail, said the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), which oversees the agreement on Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea.

The transport of Ukrainian grain was blocked in the Black Sea on Sunday after Russia suspended the export agreement vital for global food supplies, a decision blasted by Kiev, Washington and the EU.

Earlier, the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine were said to have decided to continue implementing the grain deal after movement was halted on Sunday, with a transit plan in place for 16 ships on Monday now active.

Ukraine’s government said that 218 ships involved in grain exports had been blocked — 22 loaded and stuck at ports, 95 loaded and departed from ports, and 101 awaiting inspections.

One of the ships, with 40,000 tons of grain bound for Ethiopia under the United Nations aid program, could not leave port on Sunday due to Russia’s “blockage”, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Twitter, adding that exports were now “impossible”.

NATO has joined an international chorus calling on Russia to reverse its decision.

Russia said on Sunday that it would have “contacts” with Turkey and the UN “soon” on the grain deal, the state news agency TASS reported, quoting Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko.

But, it added, this would only happen once all circumstances surrounding “Ukraine’s attack” on its Black Sea fleet had been clarified and a UN Security Council meeting held.

Kiev has denounced Moscow’s linking the grain deal suspension to the alleged attack in Crimea as a “false pretext”, calling for pressure to be brought to bear to ensure that Russia “recommits to its obligations”.

The UN-brokered deal, which allowed Ukraine to export agricultural produce, has seen more than nine million tons of grain exported during the war and has brought down soaring global food prices.

Russia’s abrupt move on Saturday to halt the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal has caused an international outcry and dealt a blow to attempts to ease the world’s food crisis.

“President Putin must stop weaponizing food and end his illegal war on Ukraine,” NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said. “We call on Russia to reconsider its decision and renew the deal urgently, enabling food to reach those who need it most.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned” by Russia’s decision and delayed a foreign visit to try to revive the agreement.

The European Union called on Russia to reverse its decision to pull out of the deal, accusing Moscow of putting at risk supply routes to ease address the global food crisis caused by its war in Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden said the move was “purely outrageous” and would increase starvation.

“This is a completely transparent attempt by Russia to return to the threat of large-scale famine for Africa, for Asia,” Ukraine’s President Zelensky said in a video address, calling for a strong response from the UN and for Russia to be kicked out of the G20.

On Sunday Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba took to Twitter to accuse Russia of pre-planning its move and creating a “false pretext of explosions 200 kilometers away from the grain corridor”.

“Russia’s decision to suspend participation in the Black Sea deal puts at risk the main export route of much needed grain and fertilizers to address the global food crisis caused by its war against Ukraine,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter.

“Any act by Russia to disrupt these critical grain exports is essentially a statement that people and families around the world should pay more for food or go hungry,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) overseeing the agreement said earlier that no cargo movements had been approved for Sunday. Nine cargo ships were able to use the Black Sea corridor on Saturday and “more than ten others” were ready to do the same in both directions, it said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Ukraine attacked the Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula with 16 drones early on Saturday. Ukraine has denied the attack, saying that the Russians mishandled their own weapons.

Moscow pointed the finger at British navy “specialists” it accused of helping to coordinate the “terrorist” attack and also alleged British navy personnel had blown up the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month.

Its claim, unaccompanied by any evidence, prompted London to respond that it was false and designed to distract from Russian military failures in Ukraine.

On Sunday, France’s Foreign Ministry said Russian accusations that Britain participated in attacks were groundless, concocted as part of Moscow’s strategy to detract attention from its war of aggression against Ukraine.

The Russian declaration came one day after Guterres urged Russia and Ukraine to renew the grain export deal, which was scheduled to expire on Nov. 19.

Ahead of the expiry, Russia had repeatedly complained of problems, while Kiev said Moscow had blocked almost 200 ships from picking up grain cargoes.

The grain deal — brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July — enabled Ukraine to export grain and to ease Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports.

According to TASS, Russia’s agriculture minister has said Moscow is ready, with Turkey’s assistance, to supply up to half a million tons of grain to poor countries in the next four months.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
×