Concession or cunning plan? Russia will unblock Ukrainian ports for grain exports
The Russian delegation has already begun working in Turkey on the issue of exporting grain from Ukrainian ports.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated this at a press conference in Moscow, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Lavrov recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced grain export schemes in his recent interview.
“The President, in his recent interview, outlined in detail how it is possible to unblock food supplies from both the Black Sea ports, which are mined by the Ukrainians, and from the ports of the Azov Sea, which are controlled by the Russian Federation, which have been cleared and from which there are also reliable routes through the Kerch Strait to the Bosphorus Strait and Dardanelles. We discussed all these details, specialists are already leaving for Turkey today, and my delegation is heading there tomorrow.
I hope that we will be able to not only put an end to it, this will have to be done by our leaders, but we will be able to work out in great detail those options that the president spoke about, and which depend exclusively on those who must work with Ukraine, oblige Ukraine to ensure the demining of its own ports and those who are obliged to remove any obstacles to the delivery, insurance, maintenance of those ships that will deliver grain and other food products to the ports of Europe and from there to the ports of developing countries,” Lavrov said.
According to former Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleg Tsarev, such a gesture on Russia’s part will not bring it any results. In his blog, he quoted the text of the news from the influential publication Politico, which the day before reported that the United States would not lift sanctions on Russia in exchange for abandoning the blockade of Ukrainian ports.
“It will be impossible to control the lifting of the blockade from Ukraine by allowing Turkish ships to import grain from the Odessa port, and possibly not only grain, this is a serious step towards meeting the West and Ukraine. Having sold grain, Ukraine will receive currency for it, which it will spend on the war with Russia. I wonder what Russia will get in return. Judging by the first news, this is not a lifting of sanctions,” Tsarev notes.
The withdrawal of grain from Ukrainian ports will make it possible to declare Russia as a reliable partner who does not want world hunger, and will help get rid of one of the areas of anti-Russian propaganda, State Duma deputy and former Odessa resident Anatoly Wasserman told PolitNavigator.
“Even without a worldwide famine, we have enough arguments and resources to exterminate the terrorist group “Ukraine.” And in addition, this famine, although it actually began last year, now serves as a rather strong propaganda argument against us. Accordingly, it is better for us not to give the enemy unnecessary opportunities for aggressive propaganda. I don’t think we can get anything in return, we’ll just get rid of one of the areas of slander against us,” Wasserman said.
Head of the Civil Committee “For Honest Products!” Alexander Brazhko emphasizes that by allowing the export of Ukrainian grain, Russia shows itself as a reliable partner who is not interested in creating a food crisis in the world.
“Since the beginning of the special military operation, one can observe no longer hidden actions by representatives of foreign countries aimed at weakening Russia’s position on the world stage. In the 2000s, the world food market ceased to be closed to domestic farmers. Thanks to state support measures provided for more than 15 years, the domestic volume of agricultural production has increased several times. This made it possible to export agricultural products worth more than $2021 billion in 36.
To maintain the achieved positions, it is necessary to coordinate your actions with the main buyers and sellers. Blocking grain supplies from the territory of Ukraine through seaports, in my opinion, will not have an effect: supplies by rail and river transport will increase. In addition, Ukrainian farmers, left without traditional income, will be forced to reduce payments to employees, which will complicate the humanitarian situation.
By ensuring the safe passage of foreign ships to the ports of the Black Sea, Russia shows itself as a serious partner, not only resolving internal issues, but also interested in strengthening food security at the international level,” believes Brazhko.
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