Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, all trust between the two warring factions has been destroyed. At the beginning of the war, representatives of both countries sat down at a table parallel to the death and destruction - but without any result. Since then, no serious attempts have been made to reach a negotiated solution.
However, a separate issue of major concern to the entire world now appears to have been resolved by compromise. The way to export millions of tons of grain that has been blocked in Ukraine for months seems clear. Under UN mediation, both sides agreed on a mode that is to be jointly monitored by the conflicting parties under UN leadership.
However, the agreement has not yet been signed and should not be signed until Friday afternoon. It provides for a joint control center in Istanbul. This is said to be led by the United Nations and staffed with representatives from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, as the German Press Agency learned from diplomatic circles in New York.
The exact coordinates for the humanitarian corridor on the sea route across the Black Sea between Ukraine and the Bosphorus are also to be determined at this headquarters in the Turkish metropolis. According to the information, the parties also agreed that ships bound for Ukraine would first be searched in Istanbul to ensure that they were not carrying weapons or the like.
There should be another check in Turkey if the ships coming from Ukraine want to leave the Black Sea again. This is to ensure that only grain is on board. Ships in the humanitarian corridor and the ports involved should not be attacked.
This point is interpreted in New York in such a way that a ceasefire should actually apply in these strategically important places - for example in the port of Odessa. The agreement is said to be initially valid for four months.
Russia and Ukraine are among the largest wheat exporters and play an important role in world food security. Because of the Russian war of aggression against the neighboring country, millions of tons of grain cannot be exported from Ukraine. However, the food is urgently needed on the world market – especially in Asia and Africa. The United Nations recently warned of the worst famine in decades.
However, the implementation of the agreement could take weeks – until then no food would be exported from Ukraine. Western diplomats noted that it was still possible that Moscow could use bogus reasons to fail to implement the agreements.
The agreement is to be signed on Friday at 3:30 p.m. (CEST) in Istanbul by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, among others. It was initially unclear who was coming for the delegations from Russia and Ukraine. "We can solve this problem and potentially save hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of people from food prices being out of their reach," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said on Thursday.
The agreement that has now apparently been reached would be the United Nations' greatest mediation success since the beginning of the war, after the world organization had already helped with the evacuation of Ukrainian civilians in the city of Mariupol. It could also be the most important compromise between Moscow and Kyiv in the conflict to date.
International politicians have repeatedly contradicted Moscow's claim that the grain blockade was due to Ukraine's refusal to clear mines from its ports: it was emphasized that there were safe corridors through which ships could sail. But there is great distrust on both sides: Ukraine fears new Russian attacks if it demines its ports. A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv emphasized on Thursday that the Ukrainian side will only support decisions "that ensure the security of the southern regions" of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was confident about the negotiations in Istanbul. "Tomorrow we expect news for our state from Turkey - regarding the unblocking of our ports," Zelenskyy said in his daily video address on Thursday evening.
In his video speech, Zelenskyy was also optimistic about the military situation. At a meeting with the heads of reconnaissance, the military and the Interior Ministry, the situation at the front and the supply of their own troops with new weapons were discussed. We "agreed that we have significant potential to advance our forces on the front line and inflict significant new casualties on the occupiers," Zelenskyy said.
Most recently, thanks to Western arms aid, Ukraine was able to slow down the Russian advance and destroyed a number of ammunition depots, weapons depots and command points in the rear occupied by Russian troops. However, the reconquest of territories recently demanded by Zelenskyy has not yet begun.
Meanwhile, the EU's seventh package of sanctions against Russia came into force. In the future, no gold or gold jewelery may be imported into the EU from Russia. This also applies if it was previously sold to a third country, according to the official text published in the EU Official Journal late Thursday evening. According to the EU Commission, there are exceptions to the gold embargo for personal gold jewelery on private trips.
The effects of a gold embargo are probably manageable for Germany: According to the Central Association of German Goldsmiths, Silversmiths and Jewelers, Germany does not obtain its gold directly from Russia, but from so-called refineries that recycle the gold.
The president of the association, Michael Seuber, also sees ways to circumvent an import ban, since it is not possible to determine the origin. "So it could be that of course Russian gold still comes to Europe via other trade routes," he said. According to the EU Commission, the UK and Switzerland are the main importers of gold in Europe.
The sanctions package also contains punitive measures against rockers from the Russian nationalist motorcycle rocker group "Night Wolves", who are now no longer allowed to enter the EU. Sanctions against the largest Russian bank, Sberbank, were also expanded.
The Russian Foreign Ministry described the new EU sanctions as pointless, but at the same time illegal and dangerous for the entire global economy. "Against the background of the obvious lack of prospects and futility of the long-term policy of exerting pressure on Russia, the pernicious consequences of the EU sanctions exercises for various segments of the world economy and security, including for EU member countries, are becoming increasingly clear," criticized Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Thursday the new package.
