Ships loaded with grain departed Ukraine on Tuesday despite Russia suspending its participation in a UN-brokered deal that ensures safe wartime passage of critical food supplies meant for parts of the world struggling with hunger.
LONDON— But the United Nations said vessels would not move Wednesday, raising concerns about future shipments.
But a total of 14 ships sailed that day, including one chartered by the UN World Food Program to bring wheat to Ethiopia, which along with neighboring Somalia and Kenya, is badly affected by the worst drought in decades. The UN has warned that parts of Somalia are facing famine. Thousands of people have died there.
The UN operation had been prioritizing a large backlog of ships waiting for checks off Istanbul, said Munro Anderson, head of intelligence of the risk consultancy Dryad Global. Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed to the fertilizer issue in a call Tuesday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying Russia’s agricultural exports still were not unblocked. Putin also said resuming the grain deal would require an investigation into the attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet, according to a Kremlin readout of the call.
Analysts say Russia still is bound by the terms of the grain deal it signed, which include a commitment not to target civilian vessels taking part in the initiative. Such an attack also would violate international law.
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