UN welcomes ‘ray of hope’ — Analysis

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, lauded Wednesday’s agreement between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators on obtaining grain shipment out of Ukraine via Black Sea. The deal was a preliminary one and called for greater dialogue.

Just minutes before Guterres’s speech, representatives from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey met in Istanbul to establish a center for coordination in order to monitor the shipment. Reporters were told by Hulusi Akar, Turkish Defense Minister. “on technical issues such as joint controls at the destination points and…the safety of navigation,”Before signing any formal agreements, they would again meet in Turkey.

Guterrez described this as a “movement”. “a ray of hope to ease human suffering and eliminate hunger,”This refers to the dependence of the developing world upon fertilizer and food exports. 

“Of course, this was a first meeting, but the progress was extremely encouraging. We hope that the next steps will allow us to come to a formal agreement,”The UN chief added.

The peace negotiations between Russia, Ukraine and Belarus have been in an impasse ever since March. Guterrez indicated that although there are still some prospects for progress, they will not be resolved until the end of this month. “a long way to go”Before a negotiated solution to the conflict can be reached, Wednesday’s talks on grain will take place “demonstrated that the parties are able to have a constructive dialogue.”

The Ukraine conflict has caused a halt to grain exports. “hundreds of millions of people in developing countries, including in sub-Saharan Africa”Guterres warned last week that the country was at serious risk of starvation. While Kiev and its Western backers have accused Russia of blockading Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, Moscow has insisted that it is ready to provide safe passage for ships carrying grain, and has blamed the stoppage on Ukraine’s mining of sea routes.

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