US Discussing With Turkey, Ukraine Grain Deal Without Russia

Details of Washington's "plan" have become known.

The US authorities are conducting negotiations with Turkey, Ukraine and its neighbouring countries on using more alternative routes for Ukrainian grain exports. The Wall Street Journal quoted US officials as saying that the parties started looking for a way out after Russia withdrew from the agreement that guaranteed the safety of supplying food via the Black Sea.

The plan, which Washington backs, envisages establishing an additional export route for 4 million tonnes of grain a month across the Danube by October. Most of the grain would be shipped downriver and over the Black Sea to nearby ports in Romania, from where it would be transported to other countries. Despite the longer and more expensive journey, this route could be an alternative to the Black Sea corridor.

At the same time, the US is considering all possible options, including military solutions to protect ships operating with Ukrainian ports, the WSJ source said. It dropped the details of these options or the names of the countries that might be involved.

The U.S. plans would rely in part on a European Union initiative to create road, motorway and sea routes known as "solidarity corridors" to allow the unimpeded movement of grain and other cargo into and out of Ukraine. European officials allow for a scenario in which Ukraine could export 5-5.5 million tonnes of grain per month. The highest volume of grain transported thanks to EU routes was 4.2 million tonnes in November. The Danube route accounts for most of these exports, about 60 per cent, EU officials said. The Black Sea "grain corridor" at its peak allowed Ukraine to export about 6 million tonnes of grain a month from three ports near Odessa.

The planning of alternative routes is a sign that the US, Ukraine and European countries are preparing for a scenario in which Russia does not rejoin the agreement to transport Ukraine's summer and autumn harvests. "The reality is that Russia has decided to attack the world's food supply routes, and until it completes its attack, it will be difficult to get them [back to the negotiating table]," a Washington-based WSJ interlocutor said.

At the same time, Turkey and the UN are trying to persuade Russia to return to the grain agreement. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan helped negotiate the agreement last year and is now expected to make progress before the Ukrainian grain harvest begins in early September, diplomats said.