‘Relief for the world’
A ship carrying grain left the Ukrainian port of Odesa for Lebanon yesterday under a safe passage agreement, Ukrainian and Turkish officials said, the first departure since the Russian invasion blocked shipping through the Black Sea five months ago.
Ukraine's foreign minister called it "a day of relief for the world", especially for countries threatened by food shortages and hunger because of the disrupted shipments.
The sailing was made possible after Turkey and the United Nations brokered a grain-and-fertiliser export agreement between Russia and Ukraine last month - a rare diplomatic breakthrough in a conflict that is grinding on with no resolution in sight.
"The first grain ship since #RussianAggression has left port," Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said. "Today Ukraine, together with its partners, makes another step to prevent world hunger."
The Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni will head to the port of Tripoli, Lebanon, after transiting through the Bosphorus Strait with its cargo 26,527 tonnes of grain.
The deal aims to allow safe passage for grain shipments in and out of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter: "The day of relief for the world, especially for our friends in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, as the first Ukrainian grain leaves Odesa after months of Russian blockade."
Moscow has denied responsibility for the food crisis, blaming Western sanctions for slowing exports and Ukraine for mining the approaches to its ports. The Kremlin called the Razoni's departure "very positive" news.
Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said the vessel would anchor off Istanbul this afternoon and be inspected by a joint team of Russian, Ukrainian, United Nations and Turkish representatives.
"It will then continue as long as no problems arise," Akar said.
Prior to the Razon's departure, Ukrainian presidential officials had said 17 ships are docked in Black Sea ports with almost 600,000 tonnes of cargo, mostly grain. More ships will follow it, Kubrakov said.
The US Embassy in Kyiv welcomed the shipping resumption, saying: "The world will be watching for continued implementation of this agreement to feed people around the world with millions of tons of trapped Ukrainian grain."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he hoped it would be the first of many such shipments.
Chicago wheat and corn prices fell yesterday amid hopes that Ukraine's cereals exports could resume on a large scale.
Despite the breakthrough on the grain shipments, the war of attrition continued elsewhere.
Three civilians were killed by Russian shelling in Donetsk region - two in Bakhmut and one in nearby Soledar - in the last 24 hours, regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.
An industrial city and transport hub, Bakhmut has been under Russian bombardment for the past week as the Kremlin's forces try to occupy all of Donetsk.
Russian strikes also hit Kharkiv - Ukraine's second biggest city and near the border with Russia - yesterday, regional governor Oleh Synegubov said. Two civilians were wounded, he said.
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