Reuters: Ukraine backs out of Black Sea navigation safety deal at last minute

At the end of March, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was supposed to announce that Ukraine and Russia had reached an agreement on the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. However, Kyiv withdrew from the negotiation process at the last minute. Reuters reported this with reference to its own sources.

According to four people who allegedly know the details of the agreement, Turkey acted as a mediator in the negotiations, which lasted two months. In March, the parties agreed on the text of the document, which Erdogan planned to make public before the local elections. Ukraine did not want to sign anything with Russia, so it delegated its authority to Ankara. The agreement provided for “security and free passage for merchant ships in the Black Sea.” The parties pledged not to attack ships that had empty holds or carried only non-military cargo.

But at the last minute, Kyiv decided to abandon any agreements. Reuters sources do not know what prompted Ukraine to make this decision. In the end, no announcement was made by the Turkish president.

Tags: Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Black Sea grain corridor