Russia this Saturday said it was suspending participation in the Black Sea deal which sought to ensure shipments of wheat from Ukraine, one of the world’s biggest grain exporters, from its Black Sea ports.
Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking the Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol on the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula with 16 drones on Saturday, Reuters reported.
In a post on its Telegram channel, the Russian Defense Ministry said Russia,
is suspending its participation in the implementation of agreements on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports.
Moscow also said British navy specialists had helped coordinate the “terrorist” attack. London said was false and designed to distract from Russian military failures in Ukraine.
The development will worsen the global food crisis which followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden called the move “purely outrageous”, saying it would increase starvation, while his top diplomat accused Russia of weaponising food, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the United Nations and Group of 20 (G20) major economies must make a strong response to what he called Russia’s nonsensical move. In a video address, Zelensky said Russia should be kicked out of the G20. He added:
This is a completely transparent attempt by Russia to return to the threat of large-scale famine for Africa, for Asia.
The grain deal had restarted shipments from Ukraine, allowing sales on world markets, targeting the pre-war level of 5 million metric tonnes exported from Ukraine each month.
More than 9 million tonnes of corn, wheat, sunflower products, barley, rapeseed and soya have been exported under the deal, signed on July 22.
Last month, President Putin said he was considering restricting grain exports through the Black Sea ports accusing Ukraine and its western allies of sending most of the grain to Europe instead of poorer, food-insecure countries.
When the agreement was signed, the U.N. World Food Programme said some 47 million people had moved into “acute hunger” as the war halted Ukrainian shipments. The deal ensured safe passage in and out of Odesa and two other Ukrainian ports in what an official called a “de facto ceasefire” for the ships and facilities covered.
Russia says it was suspending the deal for an “indefinite term” because it could not “guarantee the safety of civilian ships” travelling under the pact.