UN and European leaders called on Russia on Sunday to revive the international agreement for grain exports from Ukraine, calling it crucial for stabilizing grain prices and keeping food flowing to tens of millions of people. Russia, the naval power of the Black Sea, withdrew from the agreement on Saturday after a drone attack on its ships and naval base in Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula.
Russian suspension of the grain agreement was “purely outrageous,” said President Biden on Saturday. “It’s going to increase starvation. There’s no reason for them doing that … The UN negotiated that deal and that should be the end of it.”
An estimated 9 million tonnes of grain have been shipped from Ukraine since the agreement, mediated by Turkey and the UN, was reached in late July. It was scheduled to expire during the second half of November and Moscow raised objections recently to an extension. Russia has said its grain and fertilizer exports have not benefited as much as expected from the accord.
Commodity prices soared when Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, and could surge again with the breakdown of the export agreement. Russia and Ukraine are two of the largest suppliers of wheat to the world market. Ukraine was the No. 1 sunflower oil exporter and Russia the top global source of fertilizer. Nations in the Middle East and northern Africa relied on Black Sea grain imports.
UN Secretary General António Guterres was engaged in intense talks to restart the export pact, said UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric. The engagement aimed for renewal of exports of food and fertilizer from Ukraine as well as removing obstacles to exports of Russian food and fertilizer, said the United Nations.
“Call with @UN SG @antonioguterres to discuss Black Sea deal & coordinate actions to ensure grain & fertiliser export from Ukraine,” said Josep Borrell Fontelles, EU foreign policy chief, on social media. “Russia must go back to agreement to allow maritime corridor for food to reach the world. The EU will play its part to counter the global food crisis.”
The agreement on Black Sea grain exports has indirectly prevented 100 million people from falling into extreme poverty, said the United Nations. Commodity prices have subsided somewhat since the agreement was reached although they remain elevated.
Ukraine was forecast by the USDA to export 11 million tonnes of wheat this trade year, compared to nearly 17 million tonnes during the year before the invasion. With a record harvest this year, Russia would export 42 million tonnes, the most in the world.
Some 176 grain ships are bottled up in the Black Sea with the suspension of the agreement, said Ukrainian officials.