The Ukrainian Ministry of Restoration and Infrastructure indicated today, Thursday, that the "grain export agreement mediated by the United Nations has been halted once more due to Russia preventing the registration of ships heading to all Ukrainian ports."
The Ukrainian ministry wrote in a post on its official Facebook account: "The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul announced that it is impossible to set an inspection plan for June 1 due to another unjustified refusal from the Russian delegation to register the incoming fleet to participate in the initiative."
Ukrainian officials stated that "Russia has unjustifiably restricted the operation of the grain deal in the Black Sea since mid-April." They added that "50 ships are awaiting inspection in Turkish territorial waters and are ready to transport 2.4 million tons of Ukrainian food abroad. Some ships have been waiting for inspections for more than three months."
Russia previously denied committing any violations but urged all parties in the grain deal to lift the ban on the transit of Russian ammonia so it can be exported via a pipeline that runs from Russia through Ukrainian territory to Pivdennyi.
A senior government source told Reuters that "Kyiv is considering allowing Russian ammonia to transit through its territory for export on the condition of expanding the grain agreement in the Black Sea to include other Ukrainian ports and a broader range of raw materials."
