Following Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea accord, EU agriculture ministers will meet to deliberate on the issue. The agenda for the meeting is to examine different methods to access grains from Ukraine.
Issues of global food security has been a major topic of discussion since Moscow’s unfortunate decision. The United Nations has raised the alarm of a sporadic food shortage and the increase of food prices across the globe.
The German Minister for Agriculture Cem Ozdemir, has warned his fellow compatriots that, decisions that would be made at the conference, should not compromise the European Union’s assistance to Ukraine, in their offensive against invading Russia. He further stated that, they must be able to strike a balance between the two countries without putting EU aid to Kyiv on the negotiating table.
Ozdemir expounded that, the only person who would be pleased if there were rifts in the EU, would be Vladimir Putin.
The meeting will be the maiden ministerial assembly since Moscow pulled out from the grain deal, that allowed Ukraine to transport grains to some part of the world where cost of food and famine have driven many people into poverty.
A separate arrangement made it easier for Russian agricultural products and fertilizer to travel, while the accord gave assurances that ships wouldn’t be assaulted when they entered and exited Ukrainian ports.
According to the Finnish Agriculture Minister, Sari Essayah, the cancelation of the grain deal by Moscow, is “a very serious problem, not only in the EU market, but it would have some consequences for food security all over.”
She said ministers “must make sure that the Ukrainian grain can reach the global markets via EU territory.”
However, the Polish Agriculture Minister, Roberty Telus is expected to announce at the meeting that, Romania, Slovakia, Hungry and Bulgaria, have extended their restrictions on Ukrainian grain imports, but they will still permit Ukraine to utilize their waters to transport their food to the international market.
On the other hand, the Agriculture Minister of Lithuania, Kstutis Navickas brought up a suggestion that, in order to avoid grains from getting stuck at the Ukraine-Poland border, Lithuania is ready to take over the grains export procedures from Ukrainian and Polish borders to the port of Lithuania.
The suggestion of the Lithuanian Agriculture Minister seemed to have resonated well to the ears of his German counterpart, who claimed that, Ukrainian grains could be shipped to Baltic ports in closed containers, and then to the international market, without meeting any Russian aggression.
“I’m sure the friends from the Baltics would be happy to help and then transport to where it’s needed in the Global South.”
German Minister for Agriculture Cem Ozdemir.
In recent attacks in Ukraine, Moscow has targeted the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, which Russia claimed that, it was in retaliation to a purported Ukraine assault on a bridge that, linked Russia to the Crimea Peninsula.
Furthermore, in an effort to continue the export its grains to the international markets via sea, Kyiv has penned a letter to the International Maritime Organization to establish their own temporary maritime lane, and promises to “provide guarantees of compensation for damages.”
However, Russia has cautioned that, it will presume that vessels passing through the Black Sea are delivering ammunition to Kyiv. On the other hand, Ukraine declared that, ships traveling to Russian Black Sea ports would be regarded as “carrying military cargo with all the associated risks,” in what appeared to be a retaliatory action.
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