An agreement signed on Friday in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia, and brokered by Turkey and the UN, would allow the export of 5 million tonnes of grain per month from three Ukrainian ports, a senior official said on Friday. UN.
Here’s what we know about the details of the deal:
Under the deal, grain ships will be able to navigate through a safe corridor in the Black Sea and then cross the Bosphorus in order to reach global markets, the official said.
The ships will be controlled by a Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which will be immediately established in Istanbul and will include representatives from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN.
The ships would be inspected before arriving in Ukraine by Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish and UN officials to ensure they were not carrying weapons, according to the official.
Ukraine and Russia have agreed not to attack any vessel identified under this initiative that transits through established channels. In the event of an incident, JCC will step in to resolve any issues that may arise, the official said.
Representatives of the International Maritime Organization are coordinating shipments with shipping networks, the official said.
It may take several weeks before ships start moving so that all the logistical details of the agreement can be properly implemented and inspection teams can be established, the official said.
Nevertheless, the process must start quickly so that Ukrainian silos can be emptied for the new harvest, the official said.
The agreement is valid for 120 days from the date of signing and can be extended for the same period unless one of the parties has announced its intention to terminate it, Ukrainian Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said, who signed the deal, in a post on Facebook.
Some 20 million tonnes of grain are stuck in Ukraine, where the summer harvest is now well advanced.