Turkey escorting Ukrainian grain ships?

Russia rejects possibility of Turkey escorting Ukrainian grain ships through Black Sea

Katharina Krebs

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said the option of having Turkey escort grain ships through the Black Sea is not a viable alternative to the collapse of the grain deal, after Russia suspended its participation in the pact earlier this week.  

“I think that this option is dangerous and impossible,” Vershinin said during a press briefing on Friday.

He said that his country’s return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative was in the hands of Moscow’s “foreign partners” and that currently there are no negotiations on another deal.

Vershinin said Russia was working on alternative export routes for its agricultural exports, holding “serious contacts with African countries on the delivery of Russian cargo, including grain,” as well as with Turkey.

“We are ready to consider various options for further continuation of the supply of grain to the world market, both grain and fertilizers,” he said. “Among the countries we have very close cooperation with is Turkey, traditional cooperation, and we are also in contact with them now about what to do in the current situation.”

More background: The agreement — which is vital for global food supplies — was first brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in July 2022 and renewed three times. Russia has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the deal, doing so for the first time in October 2022 and then rejoining a few days later.

Russia’s objections to the deal centered around claims that obstacles to their ability to export foods and fertilizers had still not been eased.

According to the UN, Ukraine normally supplies the world with around 45 million tons of grain every year. It ranks among the top five global exporters of barley, corn and wheat. It’s also by far the biggest exporter of sunflower oil, accounting for 46% of the world’s exports.