Ukraine grain deal: First ship sets off from Odessa

Photo: AA

A grain-loaded ship that departed from Ukraine's Odessa port will be in İstanbul tomorrow, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar has said.

"The ship will be anchored off the coast of İstanbul around 15.00 (local time, 12.00 GMT) for a joint inspection," Akar told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).

Akar's remarks came after the first grain-loaded ship departed from Ukraine's port of Odessa for Lebanon as part of a July 22 deal signed by Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations to resume grain shipments from Ukraine's ports.

Loaded with corn, the Sierra Leone-flagged dry cargo ship Razoni will continue on its way to Tripoli port following inspections in İstanbul.

Akar said that the efforts on grain shipments from Ukraine will continue, adding that this matter is a "humanitarian issue."

Seventeen vessels are reportedly loaded with grain at the port of Chornomorsk in Odessa in the south of Ukraine, with 10 of them ready to set off.

Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın yesterday told Kanal 7 that if the grain deal is implemented successfully, it may lead to peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, echoing earlier remarks by Foreign Minister Mavlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three Ukrainian ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny — for grain that has been stuck for months because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, which is now in its sixth month.

To oversee Ukrainian grain exports, a joint coordination center in Istanbul was officially opened on July 27. The center comprises representatives from Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine to enable the safe transportation by merchant ships of commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers from Ukraine's Black Sea ports.

How the Ukraine grain deal works

Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24 led to a grain export crisis from Ukraine, one of the largest grain exporting countries in the world. Ukraine accused Russia of stealing the grain in the places it occupied in Ukraine. Turkey is among the places where the stolen grain is sold, according to officials from Ukraine.

Russia denied stealing Ukraine's grain and says the disruption in the grain shipment is caused by the naval mines laid by Ukraine off the Black Sea coasts.

After diplomatic consultations, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal on July 22 to reopen three ports — Odessa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny — for grain that has been stuck for months because of the invasion.

On July 27, a coordination center to implment the deal opened in İstanbul.

The duty of the center is to provide safe sea transportation of grain and similar food products to be exported from Ukraine.

It consists of five representatives – both military and civilian – each from Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the UN.

The center will register and monitor the departure of commercial ships via satellite, internet, and other communication means, and will carry out all its activities in coordination with the parties and the UN.

The ships will be inspected by joint inspection teams at locations deemed suitable for loading at Ukrainian ports and upon arrival at ports in Türkiye.

Nearly 4,900 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of the war on February 24, according to UN figures. Over 15 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 8.4 million that have fled to other countries.

(VK)