Russia and Ukraine agree to allow food shipments out of the Black Sea

Russia and Ukraine agreed to a deal Friday to open Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, releasing stalled grain shipments into world markets to help alleviate an ongoing food crisis and bring down global prices.

The deal between the two countries was mediated through Turkey, which helped to broker the agreement under the auspices of the United Nations. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has led to a de facto blockade of Black Sea ports that have been unable to export agricultural goods like fertilizer and grain.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking at the signing ceremony in Istanbul, hailed the deal as a “beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever.”

“To the representations of the Russian Federation and Ukraine, you have overcome obstacles and put aside differences to pave the way for an initiative that will serve the common interests of all. Promoting the welfare of humanity has been the driving force of these talks,” he said.

The deal will open a passage for significant volumes of commercial food export from the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhne, Guterres said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that naval mines in Ukrainian ports had been an issue for exports in the past.

“The shipment of grain and food stocks into all markets will help bridge the global food supply gap and reduce pressure for high prices,” Guterres added.

Turkish President Recep Erdogan said at the ceremony the agreement would help to ease pressure on global food prices.

“We are also helping with controlling food inflation, which has become a global problem,” Erdogan said.

Speaking to reporters later Friday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that the United States welcomes the development but said officials would be watching it closely, noting that Russia will need to actually comply with the agreement in order for it to be effective.  

Kirby described the Biden administration as both hopeful and “clear-eyed” about the deal.  

“If it’s fully implemented and complied with it will have an impact, but it’s just too soon to know,” Kirby said.

Other international leaders hailed the agreement.

“Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine has meant some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world are at risk of having nothing to eat. It is vital that Ukrainian grain reaches international food markets, and we applaud Turkey and the UN Secretary General for their efforts to broker this agreement,” United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said in a statement from the UK foreign ministry.

Global food prices are up more than 23% since last year, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), though they have been ticking down since May. In the US, food prices are up more than 10% annually.

Global prices for grains have fallen more than 4% since a recent high in May but are still more than 27% higher than they were a year ago, according to the FAO. Wheat prices are nearly 50% higher than they were last year.

A logistical coordination center will also be set up as part of the agreement to monitor its implementation, Guterres said.