United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an acceleration of Black Sea grain shipments from Ukrainian ports under a deal allowing safe wartime exports, a U.N. spokesperson said on Tuesday as Russia threatens to quit the pact next month.
The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help tackle a global food crisis worsened by Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor and blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
But food exports “have dropped significantly from a peak of 4.2 million metric tonnes in October 2022 to 1.3 million metric tonnes in May, the lowest volume since the Initiative began last year,” said deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq.
Guterres was disappointed by a slowing pace of ship inspections and the exclusion of Pivdennyi (Yuzhny) port – one of three Ukrainian ports covered by the Black Sea export deal.
“The Secretary-General calls on the parties to accelerate operations and urges them to do their utmost to ensure the continuation of this vital agreement, which is up for renewal on 17 July,” Haq said in a statement.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said last week that Russia was considering withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal.
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