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 through a compromise: the way to export millions of tons of grain that has been blocked in Ukraine for months appears to be 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.
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.
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.
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