No new vessels allowed to join Black Sea Grain Initiative since June 26 - UN

Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General, said this at a briefing in New York, Ukrinform reports.

According to Haq, currently, only 13 ships remain in the Initiative. They are either loading in the Ukrainian ports or on the move to or from Istanbul.

Without new ships entering the Black Sea Initiative, a million or more tonnes of food will remain stuck between now and the run-up to July 17, he said.

Haq called on the parties to ensure that additional vessels are allowed to sail the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea, which serves as "a global lifeline for food security." The commencement of the harvest season underscores the urgency, he added.

He said that in June, two million tonnes of foodstuffs were exported, well below port capacity and industry demands.

The United Nations calls on the parties to commit to the continuation and effective implementation of the agreement without further delay, Haq said.

The grain deal, brokered by Turkiye and the UN, was concluded in July last year. The agreement guarantees the safe passage of vessels with Ukrainian grain. The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, which includes representatives of all parties, facilitates safe exports of foodstuffs.

Russia is threatening to withdraw from the grain agreement if it fails to resume pumping ammonia through the Tolyatti-Odesa pipeline and partially lift restrictions on its own exports.

Ukraine's government announced the actual blocking of the Black Sea Grain Initiative by the Russian side. The Russian Federation is openly sabotaging the inspection of ships, which has reduced the throughput capacity of the corridor to less than 20% of its possible capacity.

Russia confirmed its participation in the agreement in late May, when its validity was extended for 60 days - until July 17.

Photo: UNODC/Duncan Moore