Triple agreement on a plan to move grain ships, and Russia “withdraws”

The United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine agreed on Sunday on a movement plan that will apply Monday to 14 ships in Turkish waters, a day after Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain initiative that allowed the export of foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports.

The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, where staff from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations work, said the three delegations also agreed to conduct inspections of 40 departing ships on Monday.

The center added in a statement that the Russian delegation was informed of the two plans.

The Joint Coordination Center announced on Sunday evening that the Russian delegation participating since the beginning of August in the inspections that are taking place in Istanbul for ships loaded with Ukrainian grain, will withdraw “indefinitely.”

“The delegation of the Russian Federation informed that it is suspending its participation in the implementation of the initiative’s activities, including inspections, for an indefinite period,” said a statement by the Joint Coordination Center in charge of overseeing the implementation of an international agreement signed for the export of Ukrainian grain.

The Turkish Ministry of Defense had announced on Sunday that the ships would not sail from Ukraine “in this period”, but stressed that Turkey would continue to inspect ships loaded with Ukrainian grain in Istanbul “Sunday and Monday”.

The Joint Coordination Center, which includes representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations, announced that 11 ships were inspected on Sunday, before announcing that the Russian delegation had suspended its participation.

On Saturday, Russia announced the suspension of its adherence to the agreement due to an intense attack by drones on Saturday morning, targeting military and civilian ships of its Black Sea Fleet stationed in the Sevastopol Bay in the Crimea.

The Joint Coordination Center announced that “in order to continue implementing the initiative, a proposal was made that the Turkish and UN delegations on Monday send 10 inspection teams to inspect 40 departing ships. The Ukrainian delegation agreed to this inspection plan. The delegation of Russia may notify it.”

The statement referred to an agreement between the delegations of Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations on “a plan for 16 ships to cross the humanitarian sea lane on Monday, 12 departures and 4 arrivals,” noting that the Russian delegation was informed of this.

The center had indicated on Sunday that no ship loaded with Ukrainian grain was given permission to cross the Black Sea on Sunday.

And on Sunday evening, the Center announced that 6 ships loaded with 186,426 tons of grain and foodstuffs had started their journeys, but they had not yet entered the humanitarian sea lane.

The agreement, signed in July under the auspices of the United Nations and Turkey, and entered into force on August 1, allowed the export of 9.5 million tons of grain stuck in Ukrainian ports.