Russia has yet to agree to any of the proposed options for a new grain deal — Zelenskyy

Ukraine is holding talks with Türkiye, India and Egypt on restoring safe civilian navigation in the Black Sea, particularly for grain and other agricultural exports. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in an interview with Bloomberg on October 18. According to him, the three countries have proposed a mechanism to protect commercial vessels flying their flags and entering both Ukrainian and Russian ports.

The initiative предусматриves mutual guarantees against attacks on such vessels, regardless of their destination. Under the proposed arrangement, one ship could head to a Ukrainian port and another to a Russian port, with both sides agreeing not to target either vessel. However, according to Zelenskyy, Russia opposes the proposal despite repeated appeals from Turkish, Indian and Egyptian intermediaries.

The need for new agreements comes amid a sharp decline in Ukrainian agricultural exports due to Russian attacks on port infrastructure and vessels. According to the President, Black Sea ports have the capacity to handle up to 40 mln tons of grain exports during a marketing year, but maritime shipments have been effectively halted since August. Ukraine’s Ministry of Agrarian Policy estimates that the country can currently export only 38% of its normal agricultural export volumes.

Against the backdrop of maritime logistics restrictions, Kyiv has asked the European Union to revive its Solidarity Lanes initiative, which enabled Ukrainian grain exports through European railways and ports following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Zelenskyy emphasized that rail routes cannot handle the volumes previously shipped through Black Sea ports.

The prospects for a new grain corridor remain uncertain due to Moscow’s position. Despite international mediators’ interest in stabilizing commercial shipping, no concrete agreements have been reached. Continued restrictions on Black Sea routes are increasing logistics costs for Ukrainian exporters, limiting grain supplies to global markets and posing additional risks to global food security.

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