The Ukrainian Ministry of Reconstruction announced on Monday that the initiative for grain exports via Black Sea ports is at risk of being suspended, following Russia's repeated prevention of vessel inspections in Turkish waters under the agreement.
The ministry stated on its official Facebook account, "For the second time in nine months since the grain initiative commenced, no inspection plan has been established and no vessels have been inspected. This threatens the operation of the grain export initiative." It added that Russian representatives at the Joint Coordination Center are managing an "unacceptable" ship inspection plan that "completely contradicts" the terms of the initiative, noting that they have been attempting to interfere in Ukrainian port operations by imposing their own standards for determining which vessels can enter the initiative.
The ministry emphasized that "Ukraine firmly rejects recent Russian demands and opposes its interference in the operation of Ukrainian ports." Russia did not immediately respond to the ministry's statement, but the Kremlin had previously stated that the prospects for extending the grain export agreement "are not very promising."
The initiative allows for the safe export of grain from certain Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
