Last vessel to leave Ukrainian port under the Black Sea Grain Deal

On the morning of July 16, the last ship carrying Ukrainian grain under the grain deal left the port of Odesa.

Russia has not agreed to register new ships since June 27. On July 17, the current grain initiative expires.

A United Nations spokesman said on Friday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is waiting for a response from Vladimir Putin on a proposal to extend the agreement.

During a telephone conversation on Saturday, Putin told South African President Cyril Ramaphosa that the commitment to remove obstacles to Russian food and fertilizer exports “has not yet been fulfilled.”

In turn, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Russia would face “huge diplomatic costs” if it withdrew from the agreement.

“If Russia withdraws from this initiative, the rest of the world will look at it and say that it has turned its back on providing the countries of the global South, Africa, Latin America and Asia with the food they need at affordable prices,” he said.

Tags: Black Sea grain corridor