Grain deal: First Ukrainian grain vessel to sail through Bosporus since Russia’s departure from grain deal arrives in Turkey

It is observed that while Kyiv and Washington are diligently working to forge an alternative grain agreement for Ukraine’s exports, Turkey continues to exhibit hesitancy in joining such an arrangement.

A Palau-flagged cargo ship reached Turkey’s Bosporus Strait safely on Thursday, marking the first grain shipment to leave a Ukrainian port since Russia’s withdrawal from a key Black Sea deal last July. The vessel had departed from Ukraine’s Odesa port in the Black Sea, an area where clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces have escalated following Russia’s refusal to extend the grain deal. This agreement had previously ensured safe travel for cargo vessels to and from Ukraine. However, despite Kyiv and Washington’s efforts to establish alternative grain agreements excluding Moscow, Turkey remained reluctant to participate.

The ship’s departure from the Odesa port was announced by Kyiv on Wednesday, with Ukraine’s Development and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov who revealed that the vessel was carrying over 3,000 tons of wheat. He also mentioned that this particular vessel was one of two that entered the port of Chornomorsk the previous week, using a temporary corridor for civilian vessels established by the Ukrainian Navy. Additionally, another ship loaded with wheat had docked in Odesa and was awaiting departure to Egypt.