Hopes Rise For The First Shipment Of Ukrainian Grain On Monday

The chances of the first-ever grain-exporting vessel leaving Ukraine’s ports on Monday were high, a spokesperson for President Tayyip Erdogan had earlier mentioned on Sunday.

In an interview with broadcaster Kanal 7, Ibrahim Kalin mentioned that the joint coordination center based in Istanbul would possibly complete the final work on the exporting routes.

First Ukraine grain ship sets sail from Odesa port

Turkey reported that the first shipment of grains left the Odessa port as Ukraine mentioned breathed a sigh of ‘relief for the world’. President Erodgan’s government helped broker a grains deal between Ukraine and Russia after months of wrangling with wheat and other grain products being stranded in Ukraine’s Black Sea port owing to the war.

Turkey said a ship had departed from Odessa. It set sail for Lebanon and is expected to reach Istanbul on Tuesday. Per Ukrainian authorities, the vessel is loaded with 26,000 tonnes of corn. Antonio Guterres, the UN chief, who was there during the grain deal reportedly, welcomed the move. He hoped it would be the first of many commercial ships to help the world cope with and recover from the ongoing global crisis.

Ukraine had said 20 thousand tonnes of grain were piled up in Black Sea ports worth $10 billion amid Russia’s blockade of the sea. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky put the onus on the UN to establish grain safety as Russia attacked the Odessa port with a missile after agreeing to the deal, again angering Kyiv.

Ukraine mentioned that the grains would be uploaded on several vessels as President Zelensky oversaw the operations.

Russia has kept targeting Ukrainian cities despite the grain deal with heavy bombing noted in Kherson and other places in the country’s south and east. Ukraine’s President urged civilians to leave Donetsk over the weekend as Russia’s forces made gains in the area.
(With inputs from Agencies)

References: The Times Of India, Daily Sabah