According to Turkey, a deal has been reached on the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports that were delayed in the Black Sea by Russia.
It increases hopes for an end to the standoff, which has increased the risk of hunger for millions of people.
The Turkish minister of defense, Hulusi Akar, announced that all sides had reached an agreement on safeguarding grain-shipping routes.
The deal will be signed the following week in Turkey, where additional negotiations are scheduled.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres dubbed Wednesday’s advancement a “crucial step forward.”
He stated that extra work was required to finalize the deal, which would require “much goodwill and commitments from all parties involved.”
A chunk of Ukraine’s grain has been transported via road and rail, and a new naval channel across the Danube estuary is opening. However, just 2.5 million tonnes were exported last month, which is much less than the average of 8 million tonnes before the war, and millions more remain in the port of Odesa, Ukraine.
Wednesday night, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered his evening address from Kiev, he appeared assured.
“The Ukrainian delegation has told me of recent progress. In the following days, we will negotiate the specifics with the UN secretary-general “He asserted.
Before the announcement of success, officials said that plans for Ukrainian warships to guide grain ships through mined port waters were part of the negotiations.
In addition, it was proposed that Russia be requested to observe a truce during the transit of goods and that Turkey, with the assistance of the United Nations, would offer to inspect ships to allay Russian worries about arms smuggling.
It is crucial to not get carried away. This draught grain agreement is wonderful news, especially for the millions of people around the world who rely on Ukrainian exports for their daily bread.
However, a deal to open the Black Sea is fundamentally distinct from a bigger peace accord. Undoubtedly, both parties will have had to make concessions to reach an agreement in Turkey, but neither side will have had to make significant sacrifices. No humiliating sacrifices or humbling of pride are required for this transaction to be successful.
In conclusion, there existed a solution that was usually acceptable to all parties involved.
This is not true of any conceivable peace accord. The goals of both parties are so fundamentally incompatible, so mutually exclusive, that there is no conceivable way to negotiate a compromise; hence, it is highly likely that conflict will persist.
Most likely, peace talks will not begin until one side realizes it has been defeated on the battlefield or can no longer sustain its position. It may then resemble a conditional capitulation more than a negotiated solution.
Russia and Ukraine produce thirty percent of the world’s wheat supply. Before the war, Ukraine was known as the world’s breadbasket, exporting 4.5 million tonnes of agricultural products every month through its ports.
And while Ukraine has been able to export through alternative channels, they have only partially compensated for the blockade of the Black Sea, with export volumes down to about 30% of pre-war levels.
Mr. Guterres warned in May that the Russian blockade threatened to push tens of millions of people into food insecurity, malnutrition, mass starvation, and famine.
“If we act together, there is sufficient food in the globe at this time. But if we do not immediately address this crisis, we will face a global food shortage in the next months “he added.
In June, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “extorting” the international community through the blockade.
He remarked, “It is simply unforgivable.” This supply could help the global populace, including the world’s poorest nations.
The Russian bombing of major Ukrainian cities resumed overnight, despite reports of progress in grain negotiations.
In the eastern Donetsk Oblast, Ukrainian officials reported ongoing Russian shelling across the whole province, which Moscow is attempting to conquer to complete its occupation of the industrialized Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Mr. Putin was briefed last month by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that his forces had completed the first phase of this operation by taking the province of Luhansk.
In the interim, close to the city of Kherson in the south. According to official Russian media, Ukrainian soldiers have continued their assault on Nova Khakovo by firing numerous missiles toward the city.
Kherson was the initial large city to fall to Russia in the early stages of the invasion. In recent weeks, the forces of Kiev have progressively advanced near the city’s perimeter.
