The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today, Wednesday, that it will consider all ships sailing to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea as carrying military cargo, effective from 9 PM GMT today, following the expiration of the Black Sea grain agreement. In a statement posted on the Telegram application, the ministry declared the southeastern and northwestern regions of international waters in the Black Sea unsafe for navigation, and that countries flying flags of ships heading to Ukrainian ports will be considered parties to the conflict alongside Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Western countries for the "complete distortion" of the expired grain export agreement via the Black Sea, asserting that Russia would return to the agreement "immediately" if all its conditions for reinstatement were met. This move follows Russia's decision earlier this week to withdraw from the United Nations-brokered Black Sea grain export agreement, which had secured Ukrainian exports over the past year.
The Black Sea grain agreement, mediated by Turkey and the United Nations, ended on July 17 after Russia refused to extend its participation. Moscow complains about the non-implementation of a parallel agreement to ease the rules regarding Russian food and fertilizer exports. Kyiv is demanding security guarantees to allow navigation to resume without Russia's involvement.
