The resumption of grain deliveries from the port of Odessa is not only good news for Ukrainians, says MP Alexei Goncharenko. He says it shows weakness in Russian President Vladimir Putin and will also help countries struggling with food shortages.
The the first ship sailed on Monday as part of a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey that will allow safe passage for Ukrainian ships traveling through the Black Sea.
Until then, the Russian blockade had severely restricted movement there, preventing millions of tons of grain and other exports from leaving the country. Ukraine is one of the largest exporters of grain and war caused a global food crisis.
While Goncharenko says Ukraine’s renewed ability to export will help both Ukraine and other countries, he believes more help is needed to protect the supply chain. Goncharenko spoke with As It Happens guest host Paul Hunter. Here is part of that conversation.
Ukraine’s infrastructure minister posted a video on Twitter today of the ship giving its signal as it leaves port. What was that for you? I guess you’ve been there and watched.
Yes, I was there to witness it. And it was a big moment not only for Ukraine, but for the whole world, because this is the day of at least partial liberation of the Black Sea from this barbaric blockade of Putin, which has full consequences for the whole planet; the food crisis causing peak food prices around the world, millions of starving people, new waves of migrants and refugees, social unrest, hunger strikes.
So everything Putin wants to see in the world, unfortunately, he can achieve through this blockade. And finally this blockade failed. And the first ship [since] February 24 left the port of Odessa.
What was the mood around you? Was it festive? Because, of course, the war goes on.
The war continues. And I can tell you that this news and this event is even more important for the world than for Ukraine. But a lot of people were definitely happy to see [it].
The Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship Razoni, carrying Ukrainian grain, leaves port, in Odesa, Ukraine, Aug. 1, 2022, in this screenshot taken from a handout video. (Olexandr Kubrakov/Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine/Reuters)
It also marks another failure for Putin. He tried to annex and capture Kyiv. He failed. He tried to capture Odessa, the largest city on the Black Sea, my hometown and [the] area I represent in Parliament. And he failed.
So even from that point of view it’s important.
How important is it for Ukraine to get these shipments moving again?
It’s important because certainly for us in this war of attrition that we unfortunately have in Ukraine now… every dollar counts. And we are talking about probably billions of dollars for the Ukrainian economy. It also means that Ukrainian farmers will have the financial means to produce seeds in the fall.
And this means that Ukraine will be secure next year for everyone in terms of food. And not only Ukraine, but we will once again export grain to the world, because Ukraine is the granary not only of Europe, as it was said before, but also of the whole world, as we see today.
So from all those points of view, it’s definitely important. But I would also like to tell you that we have to be very, very careful, because Putin will not stop trying to derail this deal, to destroy this corridor, to prevent Ukrainian grain from reaching the world food market, as he did when, even before the ink was dry on the agreement, he attacked Odessa with missiles and Odessa’s ports with missiles. So a clear deal breaker. So it will surely continue such attacks. And so we have to be very, very careful.
And yet the Kremlin called the ship’s departure, quote, very positive. I wonder what this has for Russia?
Oh, what would you like them to say. That this is their failure and they are very unhappy? They’ll never say it, they’ll never admit it, but they’re definitely very unhappy and they definitely don’t like it. So you have to be absolutely sure about it.
WATCH | The Ukrainian tugboat blows its horn as the ship leaves Odessa:
A Ukrainian grain ship leaves Odessa for the first time since the beginning of the war
A ship carrying Ukrainian grain left the port of Odessa for the first time since the beginning of the Russian invasion on February 24. This follows a landmark deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that allows safe passage of grain shipments across the Black Sea. It is hoped that the agreement will ease the global food crisis and reduce the price of grain.
Authorities in your country say there are 16 more ships with supplies ready. But again the war continues. Farmers are struggling. Harvest levels are lower than they have been in the past. How much relief do you think this agreement can really bring to the food crisis, especially in Africa?
This gives some relief. It is very important from a psychological point of view that there is an answer, that it is not a complete blockade.
Speaking of numbers, the deal is currently for four months. Our calculations show that we cannot do more than three million tons because there are some restrictions in this deal, for example, that ships can only move during the day in this area.
So we can’t do five million [tonnes] as it was before the invasion. So probably three. And Putin will do his best to make 2.5-2 million tons.
It will give relief. But it’s definitely not a complete answer. But something is better than nothing. The full answer is that Putin understands only one language, the language of power. So if the NATO ships are in the Black Sea, that will be the end of this Putin blackmail.
Because in reality, after the Ukrainian army destroyed part of his Black Sea fleet, after the liberation of Snake Island in the Black Sea. He is not actually able to hold the blockade against the warships.
So this will be the best option. But unfortunately, the West is not ready for such steps at the moment.
The deal expires in four months. What happens then?
No one knows.
Short answer.
Yes, short and sweet. We are ready to proceed with the transaction. We are ready to resume deliveries. But who can say what it will be like in four months?
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