The Black Sea Grain Initiative (or the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports commonly called the grain deal in the media) was an agreement between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations (UN). It took place during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The February 2022 invasion led to a complete halt of maritime grain shipments from Ukraine, previously a major exporter via the Black Sea. Additionally, Russia temporarily halted its grain exports, further exacerbating the situation. This resulted in a rise in world food prices, the threat of famine in lower-income countries, and accusations that Russia was weaponizing food supplies. To address the issue, discussions began in April, hosted by Turkey (which controls the maritime routes from the Black Sea) and supported by the UN. The resulting agreement was signed in Istanbul on 22 July, valid for a period of 120 days. The July agreement created procedures to safely export grain from certain ports to attempt to address a worldwide food crisis. A joint coordination and inspection center was set up in Turkey, with the UN serving as secretariat.
The original agreement was set to expire on 19 November 2022. Russia suspended its participation in the agreement for several days due to a drone attack on Russian naval ships elsewhere in the Black Sea, but rejoined following mediation. On 17 November 2022, the UN and Ukraine announced that the agreement had been extended for a further 120 days. In March 2023, Turkey and the UN announced that they had secured a second extension for at least another 60 days. In May 2023, the deal was once again extended for 60 days, to expire on 18 July. By mid-July 2023, more than 1000 shipments had successfully left Ukrainian ports, carrying nearly 33 million tonnes of grain and other food products to 45 countries. In summer 2023, Russia repeatedly claimed it would withdraw from the deal in July 2023 unless its demands were met. By 17 July 2023, no new agreement to renew the deal had been reached, and the extended original agreement expired.
Background
In 2022, an estimated 47 million people were experiencing severe hunger as a result of the world's rising food costs partly due to the impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America were impacted the most by the conflict due to their reliance on imported grain and fuel.
According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, Ukraine is a leading grain exporters, providing more than 45 million tonnes annually to the global market. Some 20 million tonnes of grain had been held up in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, according to the BBC. Almost all of Ukraine's wheat, corn, and sunflower oil were exported through its Black Sea ports prior to the war. Before the agreement, some ports' infrastructure had been damaged, some were under Russian control and others were blocked by mines. Initially, the Ukrainian government was reluctant to de-mine the sea due to the scale of the task and the possibility of leaving the ports open to attack.
In March 2022, the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) proposed to the United Nations Secretary-General the possibility of an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to allow grain to move from Ukraine, through the Russian Black Sea blockade, to world markets. In return, Russia would be offered sanctions relief for its own agricultural exports.
Agreement
On 22 July 2022, the signing ceremony took place at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The ceremony marked the first major deal between the warring sides since the beginning of the Russian invasion in February. However, it was not a direct agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Instead, Ukraine signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN, and Russia signed a separate "mirror" agreement with Turkey and the UN.
The signed documents entailed the safe navigation for the export of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers. The ships would traverse the Black Sea in specially created corridors that would be demined, with Turkey inspecting all merchant vessels. Another agreement was concurrently made for the UN to facilitate unimpeded exports of Russian food, fertilizer, and raw materials.
The grain deal initiative ran from July 2022 to July 2023 before Russia backed out of the deal.
Joint Coordination Centre As part of the agreement, a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) was created under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul on 27 July. The JCC was tasked with registering and monitoring the departure of commercial ships via satellite, internet, and other communication means. Its primary responsibility was to check for the presence of unauthorized cargo and personnel on board of the vessels. The JCC was located on the campus of the National Defense University, about seven kilometers north of the center of Istanbul. The center was headed by a Turkish admiral. A total of 20 delegates were employed (five representatives each from the four involved parties). Ukrainians and Russians worked separately from each other and contact between them would happen only in emergency situations if deemed necessary. The JCC agreed and issued Procedures for Merchant Vessels. The Procedures specified the coordinates of the corridor and inspection zones and established a buffer security zone 10 nautical miles in radius, moving with a transiting vessel, entry to the zone being prohibited to military ships, aircraft, or UAVs.
The JCC was disbanded with the expiration of the initiative on 17 July 2023.
July 2022 to July 2023 Following the signing of the deal, wheat prices dropped to pre-war levels. On 23 July 2022, less than a day after signing a grain export deal, it was reported that Russia launched Kalibr missiles at the Odesa sea trade port. Russian officials told Turkey that Russia had "nothing to do" with the missile strike. The next day, Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Defence, confirmed the strike, claiming that it destroyed a Ukrainian warship and a warehouse of Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Following the attack, insurers were more reluctant to insure trading ships sailing to Ukraine. The United Kingdom said it would help achieve insurance for the companies involved. On 1 August 2022, the first ship left a Ukrainian port. As of 26 August, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, some 1 million tonnes of grain had been exported by Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian president, the stated aim is at least 3 million tonnes a month. On 4 September, Ukraine dispatched 282,500 tonnes of agricultural products to eight countries in 13 vessels, the largest daily total to that date. In mid-October, Ukraine's grain exports were running about 36 percent lower than during the previous season. In 2022, Turkey (170), Spain (100), Italy (81), China (51), and Egypt (30) received the most shipments.
As of October 2022, the widescale theft of Ukrainian grain involved both private companies and Russian state operatives. Some of the stolen grain was laundered through transfers and by mixing it with legitimate goods. Ukraine intended to export 60 million tonnes over nine months if their ports continued to function well. "Solidarity corridors" were organized on the borders of Ukraine by the European Union for passage of grain through European rail, road, and river cargo shipments to destined countries, 60% of Ukrainian grain were exported through the European "solidarity corridors" and the remaining through the Black Sea ports, unblocked according to the Istanbul agreements, till October 2022.
By mid-July 2023, more than 1100 voyages had successfully left Ukrainian ports carrying nearly 33 million tonnes of grain and other food products to more than 40 different countries. 57% of grain exports went to developing countries. The United Nations' World Food Programme shipped more than 725,200 tons of grain to relieve hunger around the world, including to Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Controversies on voluntary Russian withdrawal The agreement, initially applicable for a period of only four months, was set to expire on 19 November 2022, unless renewed. In mid-October, Russian diplomats at the UN stated that a renewed agreement must also allow for increased exports of Russian grain and fertilizers. Ukraine criticized the Russian stance and stated that it had no additional demands beyond the July terms it had previously agreed to. The UN coordinator for the agreement, Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, expressed hope that a renewal agreement could be reached as the UN continued to facilitate discussions.
In late June, Russian forces withdrew from Snake Island after sustained attacks by Ukraine. Russia described the retreat as "a gesture of goodwill". Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said at a briefing, "the move was a symbolic step to disprove statements by Ukraine and its allies that Moscow is economically blockading its pro-Western neighbor".
On 29 October, Russia suspended its participation in the agreement because of a massed drone attack on the Port of Sevastopol. Russia suggested that Ukraine had misused a cargo ship to conduct the strike, but UN stated that no cargo ships were in the grain corridor on the night of the attack. A number of grain ships continued to depart from Ukrainian ports with the UN and Turkey's approval, although it was unclear whether shipments could go on indefinitely. Insurers paused the issuing of insurance for future vessel movements under the initiative. Russia resumed its participation on 2 November after Turkish and UN mediation. Russia stated that Ukraine had agreed not to use the grain export corridor to conduct military operations against Russia, while Ukraine stated that no new assurances were given as Ukraine would not make military use of the corridor.
Renewals On 16 November 2022, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan expressed confidence that the agreement would be renewed for up to a year. The next day, the UN and Ukraine announced that the agreement had been extended for a further 120 days, with the new deadline being 18 March 2023. By March 2023, Turkey and the UN announced they were facilitating negotiations for a second extension of the deal, with discussions having taken place. Russia had previously stated that it would have accepted a renewal of the deal only if its own exports were unblocked, which had been previously hampered due to international sanctions that had indirectly affected their agricultural industry. Later that month, Russia proposed to renew the deal for only 60 days, which Ukraine refused. However, by 18 March, it was confirmed that the deal had been extended, though neither the UN nor Turkey confirmed for how long. Despite this, Russia and Ukraine both claimed the deal had been extended, for 60 and 120 days, respectively.
On 6 April 2023, Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov again visited Turkey to meet his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. Russia continued to claim that international sanctions were blocking Russian agricultural exports, but the actual reason was shipping companies' reluctance to move Russian products due to the war. Russian grain exports for the 2022–23 season, which ended in the summer of 2023, were at a record high due to record shipments to Saudi Arabia, which did not impose sanctions."Russia increases its exports by 60% in July after renouncing grain deals" (Aug 1st, 2023) Atalayar. Accessed 6 Aug 2023. In mid-May 2023, the deal was once again extended for 60 days, expiring on 17 July.