Russia Suspends Key Black Sea Grain Deal With Ukraine
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Russia said Monday it had suspended a deal that allowed Ukraine to export grains to global markets, hours before the agreement was set to expire.
The Details: The Black Sea Grain Initiative was originally struck in July 2022, and has been extended several times in short increments. It protected ships from being attacked when entering and leaving Ukrainian ports, and a separate provision facilitated shipments of Russian exports. Russia said it was terminating the deal until its goals of exporting food and fertilizer are met. Russia also denied a connection between the decision to suspend the deal and an explosion on a Crimean bridge Monday, which Russian officials deemed a "terrorist attack." Washington Post (Lean Left bias) reported that Ukraine attacked the bridge, citing an anonymous Ukrainian official.
Why it Matters: Ukraine and Russia combine to produce roughly 14% of the world's wheat annually, and are also major exporters of barley and sunflower oil. Global food prices spiked at the start of Russia's invasion and have since fallen, but remain far above pre-pandemic levels.
How the Media Covered it: Some reports from left to right connected the explosion and Russia' termination of the grain deal, while others didn't. Left- and center-rated sources covered the deal's end and the bridge explosion prominently Monday. Many framed the expired deal as a blow to global food security. Right-rated sources covered both events less. A headline from ZeroHedge (Lean Right bias) called the explosion the "Crimea Bridge Terrorist Attack."
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Russia has halted a wartime deal allowing Ukraine to ship grain. It’s a blow to global food security
Russia halted a breakthrough wartime deal on Monday that allows grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and high food prices have pushed more people into poverty.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would suspend the Black Sea Grain Initiative until its demands to get its own food and fertilizer to the world are met. While Russia has complained that restrictions on shipping and insurance have hampered its agricultural exports, it has shipped record amounts of wheat.
“When the part of the Black...
From the Center
Russia axes landmark Ukraine grain deal just hours before deadline
Russia on Monday said it had suspended a humanitarian corridor to deliver key Ukrainian grains to global markets, hours before the agreement’s expiry.
First inked in July 2022, the U.N.-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative has been repeatedly elongated in short increments, amid increasing discontent from Russia over perceived restrictions that limit the full dispatch of its own grain and fertilizer exports. Russian head of state Vladimir Putin reiterated these complaints over a weekend call with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying — according to a Google-translated report from the Kremlin — that the key...
From the Right
Crimean Bridge attack leaves two dead, damages key Russian supply line
Traffic on the bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia, which serves as a vital supply line in the country’s invasion of Ukraine, was halted Monday after an attack on the bridge left two dead and at least one injured.
The governor of Crimea announced the bridge, which spans the Kerch Strait, was closed Monday morning but did not specify a reason. Crimea’s parliament chairman Vladimir Konstantinov said the incident was intentional and blamed it on Ukraine’s "terrorist regime."
In the Krasnodar region, located to the bridge’s east, a Russian health ministry official...
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