Ukraine Wants to Export Grains via the Danube

Ukraine is seeking the removal of bureaucratic obstacles and cooperation with other countries along the Danube to export grains to the European Union via this river as Russia has blocked its exports through Black Sea ports.

Ukraine, one of the world’s largest exporters of grains and sunflower oil, reached an agreement with Russia in July for the free passage of agricultural products from blocked ports.

Russia announced on Saturday its withdrawal from the agreement due to attacks by the Ukrainian army on its ships in Crimea, where the Russian navy is anchored.

Ihor Korkhoviy, Deputy Minister of Regional Development of Ukraine, stated that several Ukrainian ports had already been rendered unusable for grain exports even before Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement.

– Major export ports like Mariupol or Kherson are occupied, and the port in Mykolaiv is not operational for security reasons. So, four or five ports are out of use – Korkhoviy said in an interview with Hina.

– These ports were a major transport corridor for exporting grains and steel, so the capacity of those we currently have is insufficient – Korkhoviy, who recently participated in the forum of 14 Danube countries in Košice, stated.

In July, an agreement was reached through the mediation of Turkey and the UN for the export of Ukrainian grains from Black Sea ports blocked by Russia after the invasion on February 24. Following the agreement, more than six million tons of grains were exported.

The agreement was supposed to be extended next month. However, Russia indicated about ten days ago that the agreement would depend on whether the West would ease sanctions on Moscow. The EU, however, has demanded in recent weeks that Serbia also impose sanctions on Russia, which it opposes.

– Considering the terrorist attack by the Kyiv regime on the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian vessels that ensured the safety of the ‘grain corridor‘, the Russian side suspends its participation in the implementation of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports – the Russian Ministry of Defense stated.

The UN warns that extending the agreement for grain exports from Black Sea ports is vital for combating the global food crisis exacerbated by the war in Ukraine.

In 2019, Ukraine exported 16 percent of the world’s corn stocks and 42 percent of sunflower oil, according to UN data. Russia is also one of the leading global exporters of grains and fertilizers. The decline in deliveries has raised food prices.

Since May, Ukraine has been trying to transport grains via an alternative route, upstream along the Danube, which is becoming an important direction due to the current situation.

– Ukrainian ports on the Danube, in the Odesa region, are using special vessels for river traffic. We are closely cooperating with the Romanian government regarding the use of their ports – Korkhoviy says.

The Danube Means Life

The Danube is, after the Volga, the second largest river in Europe, measuring 2,860 kilometers in length. Grains would travel upstream from Ukraine, through Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria to Germany.

Korkhoviy says he has information that in some parts, further upstream, there are difficulties regarding customs and the depth of the river.

– There are some ‘bottlenecks’ further upstream, so we definitely need to resolve this through bilateral agreements with those countries, as well as communication with the EU – notes the Ukrainian Deputy Minister.

– Our position is that the Danube is a truly vital waterway. When Russia blocked the sea ports, the Danube became essential for exports. The Danube is now a guarantee of food export security – he added.

Foreign ministers of Danube countries held a videoconference meeting this month, one of the topics being the security of food deliveries.

– Ports on the Danube have become one of the possible ways out of the food crisis – stated in the declaration adopted by 14 countries.

Farmers are Heroes

Korkhoviy expects continued close cooperation with Romania and other Danube countries so that Ukraine can continue exporting grains to their ports and then transport them further by trains and trucks.

– Once the war is over, this waterway could remain important for exports. That is why this macro-regional strategy is vital for the development of transport – emphasized the Ukrainian Deputy Minister.

Since 2010, Danube countries have been cooperating under the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), a framework for dialogue and policy coordination among 14 countries. The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, mediates in it.

The war in Ukraine has lasted 250 days, and Korkhoviy notes that Ukrainian farmers will not abandon their crops and work.

– They are heroes. Especially the people working in the fields in occupied regions, as there have been instances where their machinery has hit mines, and they have died – emphasizes Korkhoviy, who calls Russia a ‘terrorist state’.

– Ukrainians are very brave, and even minefields do not prevent them from working. Simply put, when you work in the field, you cannot stop because you have many various obligations regarding the crops. Regardless of the fact that these fields are often in areas of military operations – he concluded.