Hours after a massive explosion rocked Crimean Bridge, resulting in the killing of two people, Russia has announced to halt of the "crucial" grain deal that allows the movement of agricultural goods from Ukraine to another world. The significant development that came on Monday will pose a threat to African nations which are already facing unprecedented crises of grains and other agricultural products, especially wheat.
"The Black Sea agreements are no longer in effect. The deadline, as the Russian president said earlier, is July 17. Unfortunately, the part of the Black Sea agreement that concerns Russia has not yet been fulfilled. As a result, it has been terminated," Russian state media TASS quoted presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying.
Grain deal suspension not due to the explosion: Kremlin
Although there were speculations that the Kremlin's latest came in line with the Crimean Bridge explosion, Peskov clarified that Moscow had notified Kyiv about the same earlier. Kremlin spokesperson asserted that today's decision was "unrelated" to an overnight attack on the bridge, which he called a “terrorist act” and blamed on Ukraine.
In fact, he warned that Moscow would continue the suspension unless and until its demands to get its own agricultural shipments to the world were met positively.
In contradiction, the ship data shows, that tracks the movement of vessels moving in the sea, Moscow has been shipping record amounts of wheat and its fertilizers.
Wheat prices increase sharply
According to multiple media reports, wheat prices took a sharp jump of 3.5 per cent barely minutes after the development hit the headlines across the world. Before the war, Russia and Ukraine together accounted for 25% of the global grain supply.
What is the Russia-Ukraine grain deal?
It is worth mentioning Russia and Ukraine account for major wheat export to the world, especially African nations. It exports shipments through the Black Sea. However, following the relentless war, Moscow blocked the route, resulting in spiralling costs of wheat, cereals and other agricultural products.
This also showcased the worst impact on African nations. In fact, several countries were on the verge of starvation. In April 2022, the Secretary-General met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to propose the plan.
Subsequently, on July 27 last year, United Nations and Turkey brokered a deal in Istanbul which was dubbed a "grain deal".
The resumption of Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea amid the ongoing war is “a beacon of hope” in a world that desperately needs it, UN Secretary-General António Guterres had said at the signing ceremony on 27 July in Istanbul.
