Ukraine is the seventh biggest exporter of grain in the world, so by targeting Ukrainian grain and reducing global supply, Russia has forced up global prices. Weaponising food is in direct contravention of the Geneva Convention and is against international law. Even China - a traditional ally of Russia - has applied pressure to get both sides back to the negotiating table.īut actions speak louder than words, and since withdrawing from the grain deal, Russia has pounded Odesa and targeted grain storage warehouses. Russia claims that it remains open to renegotiating the grain deal provided its demands are satisfied, and the UN Security Council has also encouraged all parties to explore options. Russia became increasingly concerned that the grain deal favoured Ukraine and did not meet its broader demands.Īs a result, Russia advised that it would not be renewing the grain deal, and once the latest deadline expired early last week, its forces resumed shelling of the port of Odesa and its grain storage silos. The Black Sea grain initiative was negotiated last July between Turkey, the UN and Russia as a way of ensuring that Ukraine, one of the breadbaskets of the world, could ensure that its grain could leave its southern ports via the Bosphorus.Īlthough alternative routes for grain exports were viable, the quantities required could not be satisfied using the alternative methods of road or rail through Poland or by canal and river through Romania. Is his tactic of once again targeting grain stores his attempt to recreate a man-made famine (like the Soviets did in the 1930s), but with a potentially greater catastrophic impact?Īnd Jay asked: In stopping the grain deal does Mr Putin risk alienating the African nations that have refused to condemn him? The first comes from Robert Brockman, who says: We know Vladimir Putin has a love for history, especially of the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire. Two of our readers asked about the Black Sea grain deal, the agreement that allowed safe passage of Ukrainian grain that Moscow pulled out of last month. Our senior correspondents and military experts have been answering your questions on the war in Ukraine.
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