The United States has developed a plan to export grain from Ukraine without the participation of Russia, but also continues to look for alternative export routes. Washington is also negotiating with Turkey, Ukraine itself and its neighboring countries, writes The Wall Street Journal, citing sources.
The states are also exploring the possibility of military protection of bulk carriers, media writes.
According to Washington’s plan, most Ukrainian agricultural products can be exported along the Danube and the Black Sea to Romanian ports, and then to other destinations – by October, exports should amount to 4 million tons of grain per month along the Danube. This route is longer and more expensive than the Black Sea route, but it may become an alternative after the refusal of the Russian Federation to extend the “grain deal”. The publication notes that Western countries and Kyiv are preparing for the fact that Moscow will not return to fulfill the deal before the time comes to take out the summer and autumn harvest.
It is emphasized that the implementation of the plans will partly rely on the initiative of the European Union to create road, rail and sea routes, called “solidarity lanes”. Since last May, 41 million tons of grain have been exported through them, media reports.
According to the newspaper, in parallel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is being pressured to get Moscow to resume the “grain deal” by early September.
According to RBC, the Black Sea initiative made it possible to export about 6 million tons from three ports in southern Ukraine – Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk. The European Union can help Ukraine export an average of 5-5.5 million tons of grain per month, if there are no problems. So far, there are not enough personnel and resources on some routes to quickly carry out the necessary checks, which leads to delays.
Recall that Russia suspended participation in the grain deal a month ago, on July 17, demanding the fulfillment of its conditions, in particular, the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank in the SWIFT international system, the abolition of restrictions on insurance and reinsurance of ships, and the lifting of the ban on access to ports.
Source: Rosbalt
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