Black Sea Grain Initiative

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 among Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations (UN) during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The invasion in February 2022 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 and the threat of famine in lower-income countries, and accusation 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 secured a second extension for at least another 60 days. In May 2023, the deal was once again extended for 60 days, expiring on 18 July.

By mid-July 2023, more than 1000 voyages 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 July 17, 2023, no new agreement to renew the deal had been reached, causing the deal to expire.

Background

In 2022, an estimated 47 million people were suffering from severe hunger as a result of the world's soaring food costs partly due to the impact of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Developing and emerging 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 harmed, 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.

The grain deal initiative ran from July 2022 to July 2023 before Russia decided not to extend it.

Agreement

On July 22, 2022, the signing ceremony took place at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. The ceremony marks 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 entail 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 are 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.

Joint Coordination Centre

As part of the agreement, a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) was created under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul on July 27. 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 absence 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 from the four involved parties each). Ukrainians and Russians worked separately from each other and contact between them would happen only in emergency situations if deemed necessary. 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, which was prohibited to entry for military ships, aircraft, or UAVs.

The JCC was disbanded with the expiration of the initiative on 17 July 2023.

Timeline March 2022 to July 2023

*11 March 2022: The International Maritime Organization Council called for a "Blue safe maritime corridor" to allow for the safe evacuation of seafarers and ships from high-risk areas of Sea of Azov and the Black Sea
*Late March 2022: Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) proposes structure of possible deal to UN Secretary-General and World Trade Organisation
*25 April 2022: UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a meeting to discuss the impact of the invasion on global issues, including food, energy, and finance.
*26 April: Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, describing the meeting as "very useful".
*28 April: Guterres met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials to discuss the food crisis.
*26 May: Russia modified the route of its "blue safe maritime corridor" from Ukrainian ports through its Maritime Exclusion Zone to increase safety for merchant vessels.
*3 June: Putin met with the President of the African Union, Macky Sall, to discuss grain deliveries from Russia and Ukraine to Africa.
*7 June: Russian and Turkish defence ministers discussed several topics including a potential grain export corridor from Ukraine.
*8 July: Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia would let grain exports out if Ukraine de-mines the water around its ports.
*11 July: Zelenskiy said he had held talks with Erdogan on the need to unblock ports of Ukraine and resume grain exports.
*13 July: Military delegations from Russia, Turkey and Ukraine met with a UN delegation in Istanbul.
*19 July: In a meeting in Iran, Putin met Erdogan to discuss the export of grain.
*22 July: The signing ceremony for the documents was held in Istanbul in the presence of Guterres, Erdogan, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar.
* 23 July: less than a day after signing a grain export deal, Russia bombed the Odesa sea trade port.
*25 July: Preparation is done by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) for the resumption of the export of grain.
*27 July: The Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) is officially inaugurated in Istanbul.
*28 July: UN aid chief Martin Griffiths said that the first shipment could take place as early as Friday, but that "crucial" details were still being worked out.
*29 July: In an unannounced appearance in Odesa, Zelensky said that a Ukrainian ship was ready and waiting for the signal to leave port.
*31 July: Turkish Presidential spokesperson İbrahim Kalın announced that the first ship may depart as soon as Monday (1 August) and at the latest by Tuesday (2 August).
*1 August: The ''Razoni'', the first ship loaded with Ukrainian grain, was reported to have left the port of Odesa. The destination of the ship was Lebanon.
*7 September: the total number of vessels leaving Ukraine to date in accordance with the agreement reaches 100.
*28 October: the total number of vessels leaving Ukraine to date in accordance with the agreement reaches 400.
*29 October: Russia suspends its participation.
*2 November: Russia resumes its participation.
*15 November: Ukraine proposes expanding the initiative to Ukraine's Mykolaiv Port and Olvia Port in the Mykolaiv Oblast.
*19 November: Agreement is extended for a further 120 days, with the new deadline being March 18, 2023.
*27 November: The total number of vessels leaving Ukraine to date in accordance with the agreement reaches 500.
*18 March 2023: Russia and Ukraine, in talks hosted by Turkey and the UN, have agreed to extend the deal by at least another 60 days.
*17 April 2023: Ukraine Restoration Minister allegedly said that Russia is blocking the inspection of the ships.
*17 May 2023: Russia and Ukraine, in cooperation with Turkey and the UN, agree to extend the deal another 60 days, to mid-July.
*22 May 2023: The UN expresses concern over the lack of ships arriving at the Ukrainian port of Pivdennyi. Ukraine and the US accuse Russia of violating the deal by halting inspections for ships headed to Pivdennyi since April 29.
*July 2023: The European Union considered a proposal for Russian Agricultural Bank to establish a subsidiary in order to reconnect to the global financial network, including SWIFT. This being a Russian demand to safeguard the Black Sea grain deal, by easing sanctions imposed on the bank. To go towards Russia's demands, the UN reported that they had created a bespoke payments mechanism for the Russian Agricultural Bank through JP Morgan outside of SWIFT. Russia rejected the suggestions.
*17 July 2023: Expiration date after the extension in May 2023. As of the same date, no agreement to renew the deal was reached. Dmitry Peskov

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