The grain corridor is blocked again, and the US representative to NATO calls on the G7 countries to unblock Ukrainian ports

On May 30-31, the Russians let through the grain corridor only 1 ship, and on June 1 - none, so the work is blocked again. Therefore, Ukraine appealed to the Secretariat of the Joint Control Commission with a demand to resume the inspection of vessels.

Blocking the ports of Ukraine, the Russian Federation demands new concessions for the functioning of the grain agreement, therefore the world community must put an end to this blackmail.

Permanent representative of the US to NATO, Kurt Volker, called on June 21-22 to resolve the issue of unblocking Ukrainian ports, since the Russian blockade equates to piracy, or at least the threat of it. "Frightened by Russia's threats to sink a merchant ship under a foreign flag in international waters, the world community allowed the Kremlin to blackmail itself," he emphasized and called on the US, the G7 countries and the EU, as well as NATO allies to ensure free commercial shipping in the international waters of the Black Sea.

"Our policy should be supported by a number of practical diplomatic, economic and humanitarian steps. We need to start a dialogue with Turkey to ensure safe shipping and start demining the waters. The governments of the countries participating in the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine should introduce war risk insurance for shipping companies trading directly with Ukraine, which will cover both ships and cargo. The world's largest companies may refuse to participate, but there are many small companies that would intensify their work in the grain corridor under the condition of full insurance," Volker noted.

He called on NATO countries to warn Russia about the inadmissibility of any attack on a commercial vessel in the international waters of the Black Sea, as this would be considered piracy and would have a direct military response under international law. NATO countries must ensure unimpeded transit and participate in operations that do not pose a threat to freedom of navigation in the international waters of the Black Sea.

"At the conference on the restoration of Ukraine, which will be held on June 21-22 in London, it is necessary to resolve the issue of opening the port of Odesa for ordinary commercial shipping, including container shipping, as this will immediately affect the economy of Ukraine. Time is of the essence, and at least 60 million tons of the new Ukrainian harvest must flow unhindered to world markets," Volker added.

Earlier, the business community appealed to the UN and Turkey to ensure free navigation in the Black Sea, and in case of objections from the Russian Federation, to organize inspections of its ships that can carry military cargo.

During the 43rd week of operation of the grain corridor (May 22-28), 4 ships were loaded in the ports of Odesa (as well as a week ago), and 15 ships passed inspection at the entrance. The export of agricultural products grew by 78% compared to the previous week to 210.5 thousand tons, but it was much lower than the potential of this supply channel.

The main export items for the 43rd week of operation of the grain corridor were:

• corn - 91% of all shipments,
• barley - 9%.

The main buyers were China, Spain and Egypt.

Starting from August 1, 2022, it was possible to export 30.5 million tons of domestic agricultural products through the grain corridor. However, due to sabotage by the Russian Federation, the operation of the grain corridor remains critically unstable, so it will be extremely difficult to ship the surplus agricultural products available in Ukraine before the start of the new season.