• The Russian invasion in February effectively ended Ukraine’s grain exports.
• Up to 20 million tonnes of grain are trapped in ports, unable to leave due to Russian naval forces controlling the majority of the Black Sea.
• Heavy fighting has also harmed harvests and blocked and mined ports.

Ukraine said the first grain-laden ships could leave its Black Sea ports “within days.”Under a landmark UN-brokered deal signed on Friday.

“If the sides guarantee security, the agreement will work. If they do not, it will not work,” Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said.

On Saturday, Russia launched missiles at Ukraine’s main port of Odesa, raising fears that the deal could be jeopardized.

The Russian invasion in February effectively ended Ukraine’s grain exports.

Up to 20 million tonnes of grain are trapped in ports, unable to leave due to Russian naval forces controlling the majority of the Black Sea.

Heavy fighting has also harmed harvests and blocked and mined ports.

This has resulted in food shortages and price increases across Africa, which typically relies on Ukraine and Russia for wheat.

In another development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow would assist Ukrainians in “getting rid of the regime that is absolutely anti-people,” despite previous assurances that Moscow would not seek to destabilise Ukraine’s government.

Mr Kubrakov stated in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv that commercial vessels would be organised into convoys accompanied by Ukrainian ships “within days.”

Ukraine and Russia signed the grain export agreement separately in Istanbul, with Turkey and the UN serving as co-guarantors.

The agreement, which took two months to reach, will last for 120 days, with a co-ordination and monitoring centre in Istanbul staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian, and Ukrainian officials. If both parties agree, it can be renewed.

Mr. Kubrakov stated that Ukraine hopes to establish such a centre this week.

Russia has not responded to the recent developments.

After the Odesa attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “barbarism,” saying it demonstrated that Moscow could not be trusted to keep its end of the bargain.

According to the text of the agreement, parties have agreed not to attack merchant and other civilian vessels, as well as port facilities involved in grain transportation.

Russia claims that its missiles destroyed a Ukrainian military vessel as well as a number of Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the United States. Ukraine acknowledged a ship had been hit, but provided no further details.

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