Today at 19:58
RAZONI ship, under the flag of Sierra Leone, left the Odesa port with 26,000 tons of Ukrainian corn. Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure, reported on his Facebook.
“UPD: The first ship with Ukrainian supplies has left the Odesa port,” adding in his post that the ship is scheduled to leave at 9:15 on Monday.
“I am grateful to the Armed Forces of Ukraine for the opportunity to conduct negotiations on Ukrainian terms. In the ports of Great Odesa, 16 ships are already waiting for their turn. These are ships that have been blocked since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia. At the same time, we are receiving requests for the arrival of new ships for loading agricultural products. In the coming weeks, with the support of our partners, we plan to reach the full capacity of transshipment of agricultural products,” the minister added.
The world shortage of Ukrainian grain since Russia’s 24 February invasion has left millions at risk of hunger. Grain deliveries were suspended as a result of Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports, fueling fears of shortages worldwide and price hikes. Kyiv refused to sign a direct deal with Moscow, and warned “provocations” would be met with “an immediate military response”. In July, Ukraine and Russia signed “mirror” deals that will allow Kyiv to resume exports of grain through the Black Sea. As part of the agreement reached in Turkey, the 20-25 million tons of grain currently blocked in Ukraine can finally be exported.
The agreement between Ukraine and Russia is important for global food security. The grain is urgently needed on the world market, especially in Asia and Africa. In the wake of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the United Nations had warned of the biggest food crisis in decades.
Read also: Ukrainian ports are ready for the start of food exports, – Ministry of Infrastructure
