A number of European countries have stepped up efforts to reopen maritime corridors to transport Ukrainian grain, possibly with the help of a third-party security guarantor, but it remains unclear whether Russia would agree to such an agreement.

According to Euractiv, such efforts come at a time when Russia has occupied some of Ukraine's largest ports and its navy controls major transport routes in the Black Sea, blocking Ukrainian shipments and deepening a global food crisis. in dependent countries throughout Africa and Asia.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has previously said it was working with international partners to establish a United Nations-backed mission to restore Black Sea transport routes and export Ukrainian farm products.

"Ukraine is ready to create the necessary conditions to resume exports from the port of Odessa," wrote on Twitter, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

"The question is how to make sure that Russia does not abuse the trade route to attack the city of Odessa.

There are no guarantees from Russia so far.

"We seek solutions together with the UN and our partners."

In this context, Euractiv estimates, a military solution, involving NATO or an EU naval mission, to unblock Ukraine 's seaports has been ruled out because of the risk of possible involvement in the conflict.

Guarantee from a third party

"We must liberate the port from a third force that will guarantee security as arbitrators," Slovak Prime Minister Eduard Heger was quoted as saying at a GLOBSEC forum in Bratislava, speaking with Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. on Friday (June 3).

In this regard, the United Nations or Turkey can serve as potential security guarantors for the reopening of the Ukrainian port of Odessa to ensure the safe "extraction" of blocked cereals and food products in the country, said Heger.

"This is how we can get the wheat," he added, noting that road and rail transportation options would not provide enough capacity to transport millions of tonnes of stalled grain to the country.

"We need ports and the most important question is how to achieve that goal," said Nehammer of Austria.

"The most important problem is that we do not have time - the world needs wheat now."

As Euractiv points out, the European Commission has stepped up efforts to coordinate the export of millions of tonnes of grain with road and rail infrastructure through neighboring EU member states, but has had problems with infrastructure and capacity.

Therefore, it is further estimated that the best solution would be to "re-channel" one million tons of wheat stuck in Ukraine through Belarus.

But this has been made difficult by demands from Minsk and Moscow to lift EU sanctions on Belarus.

Asked by Euractiv if they were willing to lift EU sanctions in exchange for unlocking the Black Sea - a price that Russian President Vladimir Putin has hinted could affect - both prime ministers denied it could be a serious option.

"There is no issue of sanctions on the issue of 'extracting' corn," Nehammer said.

"Sanctions should definitely not be an issue whether he [Putin] will release [Ukrainian] ports or not - this is a completely separate issue and should be treated as such," Heger said.

"Food diplomacy" of Russia

"If we do not avoid supply problems, we will see political chaos in Africa and Asia, and a subsequent migration crisis in Europe, when people suffering from hunger will seek refuge elsewhere," warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. in the same audience the day before.

"Many governments will have to explain to the disgruntled why our continent is being held hostage by a country and a person in Moscow who gave the order to impose a naval blockade on Ukraine," Zelensky added.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Thursday (June 2nd) that Kiev was calling on "countries whose food security may suffer the most from Russian aggression against Ukraine to use their contacts with "Moscow to force it to lift the blockade of Ukrainian ports and end the war."

However, Putin's "propaganda and food threat" seems to be shifting beyond Europe, especially to third countries fearful of a possible famine.

To "neutralize this", EU leaders had called on African countries not to fall prey to a Russian-led propaganda campaign blaming the current global food insecurity on Western sanctions against Moscow.

Senegalese President Macky Sall, currently chairing the African Union, left for Sochi on Friday to beg Putin to release stocks of grain and manure that Russia is holding hostage to its blockade of the Black Sea.

African countries have been deeply affected by the growing crisis, which has pushed up the prices of cereals, cooking oils, fuels and fertilizers.

And after meeting with the Russian president just three days after talks with EU leaders, Sall's message was remarkably similar to Russia's line on the issue.

"Putin has expressed his readiness to facilitate the export of Ukrainian cereals.

"Russia is ready to secure the export of its wheat and fertilizers," Sall said.

However, he did not say whether Putin had put any conditions on his offer, but "called on all partners to lift sanctions on wheat and fertilizers."

But, as Euractiv points out, there are currently no Western sanctions on Russian grain and there are very soft import quotas for Russian fertilizers.

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Telegraphy

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