Blinken Claims 'Two-Thirds' of All Food Exported to Global South in Black Sea Grain Deal

In late July, two agreements were signed in Istanbul. The first one provides for the removal of anti-Russian restrictions on the export of agricultural products and fertilizers, while another provides a mechanism for grain to be exported from the Black Sea ports controlled by Kiev.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that out of more than nine million metric tons of grain that have gotten out of Ukraine through the ports of Odessa, "two-thirds" went to the Global South, namely the nations of Africa, Asia, and other regions.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Ottawa with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, Blinken said he believed that everybody throughout the world has benefited from the significant price reductions, supposedly caused by the grain release.

"More than nine million metric tons of grain have gotten out through the Odessa ports," he said. "Two-thirds of that has gone to the Global South, to countries in Africa and Asia and elsewhere, who desperately needed it. It’s had a very positive impact in lowering prices that’s benefited everyone around the world."

Moreover, the US top diplomat added that Russia's possible refusal to extend the grain deal would cause dissatisfaction among the states of the developing world.

"So the idea that Russia would now say it doesn’t want to continue, it wants to turn it off, I think will be met with great anger by countries around the world who are benefiting from Ukrainian grain," he claimed.

Russia had earlier said that it does not see the fulfillment of the memorandum on unblocking the export of Russian fertilizers and grain as part of a food deal, and the situation does not satisfy Moscow.

On Thursday, for instance, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that “we see that the part related to Ukrainian grain is being implemented, more or less with its own problems," but Moscow does not see the results of the second part of the deal implemented by far.

Non-fulfilment of the second part of the deal is prompting Russia to consider if it should be extending the entire deal altogether "based on factual data," Zakharova said.

According to the US Secretary of State, in turn, making sure that this grain can continue to leave Ukraine is in everyone's best interests, and the US will "certainly" do everything in its power to keep the deal in place.

"But I think a decision by Russia to discontinue this agreement would be met with deep concern from countries around the world, especially in the Global South," he added.

Grain Deal Not Going as Planned, Moscow Says

However, commenting on the preliminary results of the deal, in particular on Russia's access point to the export of grain and fertilizers, the Russian Foreign Ministry said this Friday that about 80% of the fertilizers that Russia is ready to donate to the poorest countries are blocked in warehouses in Latvia, while the rest is frozen in the ports of Estonia, Belgium and the Netherlands.

According to the ministry, approximately 300,000 metric tons of fertilizers are currently stuck in the European ports.

The diplomatic mission noted that Russia "is one of the world's leading exporters of fertilizers, without which not only food-consuming countries, but also producing countries will be at risk of starvation."

Apart from that, the ministry stated that Russia sent about 10.5 million tons of grain, mainly wheat, to the countries of Asia and Africa, and is ready to export another 30 million tons of grain, wheat included, by the end of 2022, and bring this figure to 50 million tons, taking into account this year's harvest.

According to the data, about 62% of the grain was sent to countries in Asia, while 33% was sent to Africa.

“The contrast, as they say, is obvious - while Ukrainian cargo goes through the humanitarian corridor to Europe and developed countries, Russian supplies are sent to those in need in Africa and Asia," the statement said.

Moreover, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow had asked the UN Secretariat for statistics on the shipment of grain to the end consumer as part of the grain deal. The minister noted that the part of the deal responsible for promoting the export of Russian products is not being fully implemented, despite the intentions of the UN.

The majority of the grain from Ukraine was received by European nations, according to Lavrov, who quoted the EU as claiming that although it has indeed gotten the grain, it was subsequently dispersed to all of the world's nations, including the poorest ones.

"We would like to have a clearer picture, so we asked the UN Secretariat, which is in charge of this operation and has all the data, to provide statistics on the movement of grain to its final destination, where the final consumer is located. This is not mere curiosity; The adjustment and redirection of further actions taken to implement this grain deal depend on it," Lavrov said.

He stressed that for the full implementation of the agreements, clear legal decisions are needed.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the poorest countries received only up to 5% of Ukrainian grain, which was exported across the Black Sea as part of the deal.

Two related documents, unified by the term Grain Deal, were signed on July 22 in Istanbul to address the problems associated with the shortage of supplies to world markets. The first one, the memorandum, assumes the obligation of the UN to remove various restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets. The second defines the algorithm for the export of Ukrainian agricultural products from the Black Sea ports controlled by Ukraine.

However, as Moscow points out, in terms of exports from Russia, the deal is not yet working.

Also stipulated in the agreements, and signed by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN, the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul is designed to inspect ships with grain in order to prevent the smuggling of weapons and exclude provocations. The deal expires on November 19th.