Grain initiative suspended again: Russia blocks registration of fleets incoming to all Ukrainian ports

The Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul has announced that it is impossible to make an inspection plan for 1 June due to another groundless refusal of Russia to register an incoming fleet for the grain initiative. Source: the Ministry of Development of Hromadas, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine [Hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories - ed.]

During the two days, on 30 and 31 May, Russia registered only one incoming vessel in the Chornomorsk sea port and provided no explanation [for not registering any of the other ones - ed.]. Meanwhile, other sides of the JCC confirmed the participation of 10 vessels in the Black Sea Initiative, allowing them to enter 3 ports.

"The destructive policy of Russia and the absence of the vessels, registered for inspection, make drawing up an inspection plan for today impossible. All sides of the treaty were informed about it by the JCC Secretariat.

At the moment, 50 vessels are waiting to be inspected and loaded with 2.4 million tonnes of food products for countries worldwide in the territorial waters of Turkiye. This volume is almost two times bigger than in May. Some vessels have been waiting for an inspection for over three months.

This is over a £1 billion of damage, which affects the final cost of food products for the world. Thus Russia has found another way of restricting the world in food," the Ministry explained. The blockage of a new incoming fleet, as well as the blockage of the biggest port, Pivdennyi (South), is a gross violation of the conditions of the grain initiative, which was signed by Russia as well.

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"The Ukrainian delegation sent a letter to the JCC with the demand to resume the fully-fledged operation of the initiative with three inspection groups and nine inspections a day, as the JCC procedures require. The Ukrainian inspectors are at JCC at the moment and are ready to immediately get to work in case the registration of the vessels is resumed," the Ministry adds. In 10 months of the operation of the grain initiative, over 30.5 million tonnes of Ukrainian agricultural products have been exported. "The sabotage and slowing down of the initiative by the Russian delegation in JCC has been ongoing for seven months.

As a result the world is short of at least 20 million tonnes of food products," the Ministry reports. Background: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, reported that the Pivdennyi Port is blocked at the moment, and if Russia gets away with blocking navigation in the Black Sea, other naval countries in the world may face such problems as well.

Russia agreed to resume incoming inspections of the vessels, which are heading from two of the three ports participating in the grain initiative. Oleksandr Kubrakov, Vice Prime Minister for Reconstruction  and Minister of Development of Hromadas, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, stated that the grain initiative has been unblocked, and it will be prolonged until 18 July. The grain initiative does not provide for satisfying any Russian needs.

The questions raised by Russia, about the operation of the ammonia pipeline and lifting sanctions from Russian banks, are being discussed separately.

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