Istanbul/Kyiv | Reuters — Russia and Ukraine signed a landmark deal on Friday to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports, raising hopes that an international food crisis aggravated by the Russian invasion can be eased. The accord crowned two months of talks brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, a NATO member that […] Read more
Ukraine, Russia sign deal to reopen grain export ports
Russia says it 'won't take advantage' of de-mining of ports
Deal to resume Ukraine Black Sea grain exports to be signed Friday
Istanbul/United Nations | Reuters — Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will sign a deal on Friday to resume Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s office said Thursday. Russia and Ukraine are both major global wheat suppliers, but Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbour has sent food prices soaring […] Read more
Ukraine grain storage crisis hits home as farmers harvest new crops
Outlook bleak if sea export route not reopened soon
Khreshchate, Ukraine | Reuters — Ukrainian farmer Mykola Tereshchenko hopes to start harvesting his wheat fields this week, but the smallholder in northern Ukraine has nowhere to store the grain. His silos are still crammed full with 1,100 tonnes of grain from last year’s harvest that he can’t export due to the closure of Ukraine’s […] Read more
As Ukraine grain deal emerges, U.S. aims to ease concerns over Russia sanctions
Washington | Reuters –– The United States on Thursday sought to facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports by reassuring banks, shipping and insurance companies that such transactions would not breach Washington’s sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Enabling those Russian exports is a key part of attempts by the United Nations and Turkish […] Read more
Ukraine grain exports deal to be signed next week, Turkey says
Istanbul/United Nations | Reuters –– Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations are due to sign a deal next week aimed at resuming Ukraine’s Black Sea grain exports, but U.N. chief Antonio Guterres warned there was still “a long way to go” before there would be peace talks to end the war. Turkish defence minister […] Read more
Poland says EU goal for Ukraine grain movement not feasible by July
Warsaw | Reuters – The European Union’s goal to move 20 million tons of grain out of Ukraine by the end of July is not feasible amid little progress in implementing EU and U.S. initiatives to ease logistics problems, the Polish agriculture minister said on Tuesday. Speaking to Reuters in an interview, Henryk Kowalczyk accused […] Read more
U.S. grains: Wheat firms after Russia strikes Ukraine port
Chicago | Reuters – U.S. wheat futures firmed on Wednesday, rebounding from a sharp decline a day earlier as investors covered short positions following a Russian strike on a port in Ukraine that renewed fears about supply shortages, traders said. “Wheat was mostly higher today … after Russia unleashed a missile attack damaging at least […] Read more
Ukraine grain exports 48 per cent down so far in June
Reuters – Ukrainian grain exports in the first 22 days of June fell by 48 per cent from a year earlier to 907,000 tonnes, agriculture ministry data showed on Wednesday. The volumes included 803,000 tonnes of corn, 78,000 tonnes of wheat and 21,000 tonnes of barley, the data showed. Ukraine exported up to 6 million […] Read more
Turkish team to discuss Black Sea grain corridor in Russia this week
Turkey proposes to monitor safe passage
Ankara | Reuters — Ankara’s military delegation will travel to Russia this week to discuss details of a possible safe sea corridor in the Black Sea to export Ukrainian grain, Turkish presidency sources said on Tuesday. Russia’s TASS agency confirmed plans for the talks, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine […] Read more
Turkey says Ukraine grain ships could avoid mines
Russia offers safe passage
Ankara/United Nations | Reuters — Russia on Wednesday said it has offered “safe passage” for Ukraine grain shipments from Black Sea ports but is not responsible for establishing the corridors and Turkey suggested that ships could be guided around sea mines. Ukrainian grain shipments have stalled since Russia’s invasion and ports blockade, stoking global prices […] Read more