LONDON, April 16. /TASS/. Turkey negotiated for two months with Russia and Ukraine on a deal to ensure the safety of shipping in the Black Sea, but Kiev backed out of the agreement at the last minute, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
According to them, the negotiations nudged by the United Nations were mediated by Ankara. While Ukraine gave its assent for Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to announce the deal on March 30, it suddenly pulled out for unknown reasons.
According to the draft agreement, seen by the news agency, the parties would have extended security guarantees to merchant vessels in the Black Sea, as they committed not to strike or search them as long as they had declared a non-military cargo, Reuters said. The agreement was to come into force upon announcement, Reuters added.
Erdogan said in late February that communication with the UN was ongoing to work out new regulations for shipping in the Black Sea. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin pointed out that the initiative was not related to the grain deal.
The grain deal expired on July 17, 2023. Russia, which had repeatedly extended the July 2022 agreement on the Black Sea corridor for the passage of ships carrying Ukrainian grain, recalled that the part of the deal that concerned Russia — the removal of obstacles to agricultural exports — had never been implemented. Moscow also pointed out that although the agreements were intended to send food to the poorest countries, most of Ukraine’s grain went to developed Western countries. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia was ready to return to the agreement, but only if the part concerning Moscow was implemented.