Posted on 06/06/2022 12:39:43 PM PDT by blam
For days the United Nations has been in (so far unsuccessful) talks on cobbling together an agreement on plans to unblock Black Sea grain exports from Ukrainian ports, including controversial discussions with Russia, which has stood accused of ‘weaponizing’ global food supply with its military blockade of key ports. Moscow has in turn charged that Ukraine said ports, making tanker traffic impossible, while also saying the West must ease sanctions if it hopes to get crucial grain exports flowing again.
UN officials have said President Vladimir Putin’s offer to lift the blockade if sanctions are dropped is “complicating” the already “fragile” negotiations. Washington has been watching with skepticism: “The bottom line is that, apart from leveraging overland routes, we need to get the ports back up and running so we can boost food supplies for those most in need,” a State Department spokesperson said in weekend comments.
Image: Pixabay
Russia has reportedly reached an agreement with Turkey to erect a de-mined ‘grain corridor’ which would provide safe passage to Ukrainian grain cargo ships out of the Black Sea port of Odessa via joint military escorts.
Turkish media source Daily Sabah is reporting the following on Monday:
Russian government plans to allow ships carrying grain supplies to leave the port of Odessa in Ukraine, according to a report, easing a blockade that has triggered fears of widespread shortages and hunger.
The Russian leadership has agreed with Kyiv and Ankara on a scheme to release grain shipments from Odessa, which has been subject to a blockade, the pro-government Izvestia reported, citing government circles.
“In the territorial waters of the neighboring country, Turkish military forces will take over the demining and they will also escort the ships as far as neutral waters,” Monday’s report said.
Russian warships would then escort the vessels carrying grain to the Bosporus.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously told reporters the following in recent a press conference, according to Yahoo News citing regional sources:
A conversation (between the Russian President Vladimir Putin) and President Erdoğan has resulted in an agreement that our Turkish colleagues will try to help to organize the demining of Ukrainian seaports in order to release ships which were technically taken hostage together with cargo needed in developing countries.
It’s as yet unclear if the Ukrainian side has actually signed onto the reported deal, or whether it was involved in negotiating or possibly had its interests represented by Turkey in any way.
The report continues: “Lavrov said this agreement stipulates that Ukraine will not use the demining process to strengthen its military capability and will not disrupt the Russian navy.”
Russia and Turkey have announced an agreement to create a de-mined ‘grain corridor’ for military escorts of Ukrainian grain cargo ships out of the Black Sea port of Odessa pic.twitter.com/muEJx4Uyyy
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) June 6, 2022
This agreement which is being reported from the Russian side appears to have taken place outside of UN channels, and it’s uncertain how it will be received in the West,/B>, given that recently the UK and some European backers of Ukraine have floated their own plans for a ‘safe corridor’ established by an international naval escort. Russia has of course rejected these offers to Ukraine of Western naval escorts.
Turkey would have to approve any potential final agreed upon international plan, given that it controls passage of foreign ships through the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits based on the Montreux Convention.
The wording of the Kremlin statement announcing the possible Russia-Turkey demining plan is interesting given it accuses Ukraine of holding commercial shipping “hostage”.
U.S. efforts to pressure Russia against buying stolen Ukrainian grain might fail. This comment to the NYT from a Kenyan research director is illuminating:
“Africans don’t care where they get their food from, and if someone is going to moralize about that, they are mistaken”
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) June 6, 2022
Ukraine for its part has charged Russia with stealing and then selling off vital Ukrainian grain while holding the global food supply hostage, and blackmailing world powers for the sake of sanctions relief.,/B>
However, one analyst was cited in The NY Times as saying of the hard-hit African continent which remains very heavily dependent on Ukrainian grain exports, “Africans don’t care where they get their food from, and if someone is going to moralize about that, they are mistaken.”
Italy’s Salvini Warns Food Shortages Could Cause 20 Million African Migrants To Enter Europe
They may come anyway.
They're already in Portland demanding more:
Translation: The West will kill people if it comes down to a choice between their sanctions hobbyhorse and people starving.
It’s something how mass starvation focuses the mind to negotiate.
It’s amazing how Russia rules the world now. Even the U.S. president blames Putin for everything. If Putin is to blame for everything, he must be in charge of everything.
Joe Biden admits he is powerless to fix any of our big problems.
Lets see the Zelenski regime mouth off to Turkey the way they do to Germany on regular basis.
Call me cynical, but this seems like a :”humanitarian” effort that will fund Russia through selling stolen Ukrainian grain.
Although, it might help on the price and availability of grain in some places, largely paid for by the UN and US.
five pounds of flour at Walmart $1.76
cost to travel to Europe?
Russia already said the mines have been removed from the ports.
Were they lying?
L
Russia might insist on grain sale proceeds impoundment, with equalized releases.
If say 5% of sanctioned Russian money is released, then say 5% of Ukrainian funds would be released.
“Russia already said the mines have been removed from the ports.”
May be from one port alone.
“UN officials have said President Vladimir Putin’s offer to lift the blockade if sanctions are dropped is “complicating” the already “fragile” negotiations.”
There’s nothing complicated about it.
It’s simple binary logic. As simple as it gets.
Would be nice if the article said which port.
L
Bill Gates, his Ex, Bezos, Soros and The Usurper Xiden do not approve.
Odessa, which is still in Ukrainian control, or only the ports the Russians conquered?
For warmongering globalists, the fantasy of punishing Putin supersedes the reality of empty shelves.
“Take that, Putin!”, I said, as I slowly starved in my cold house.
Your obfuscating is laughable. Russia removed the Ukrainian mines from Mariupol.
How is it going to remove them near Odessa and Nikolayev? Turkey is invited for that reason.
My understanding is that Ze-clown is going to reject the deal because he thinks the mines are protection against “amphibious landing”.
That is going to put the end to the “Russia blocking the wheat export” narrative.
Everybody is going to blame the coming famine on the West. It is going to suck being American or European in Africa very soon with everyone put to knife and torch. There won’t be mineral export from Africa for security reasons, and if anyone is going to try to solve it militarily, Putin is going to send all the weapons and have the last laugh.
I have no plans to go to Africa. I don’t care if every last one of them starves.
L
Africans know this altitude, one more reason for them to hate your ilk. I guess you still like coffee and tons of other stuff coming from there.
“ ne more reason for them to hate your ilk”
I hate them right back. Nothing good has ever come out of Africa.
“ I guess you still like coffee.”
My coffee comes from Jamaica.
L
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