According to The Guardian's report on August 13th, Kiev has proposed reaching an agreement with Russia to stop mutual attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, in order to reopen key grain transportation corridors. However, this proposal seems to be related to pressure from the United States.
Reuters reported that Kiev made this proposal through a third party, while Moscow has not yet responded.
The busy Black Sea route is a key export route for Russia and Ukraine, used for transporting grains and other commodities worldwide.
Since July, Ukraine has claimed that its drones attacked and struck nearly 220 Russian ships in the Azov Sea and the Black Sea, including oil tankers, cargo ships carrying food supplies, and passenger ferry ships.
During the same period, Russia increased its attacks on the southern Ukrainian ports, causing severe damage to the Ukrainian agricultural sector. This was particularly problematic since it marked the beginning of the Ukrainian harvest season. Approximately 90% of grain and sunflower seed exports had to be shipped via Odessa and neighboring ports such as Chernomorsk and Pivdenny, but at present, shipping in Ukrainian ports is almost completely halted.
Reuters commented that this proposal is “very practical.” If achieved, it will restore the transport routes that are crucial for international food security.
It is worth noting that the proposal for this agreement seems to have come shortly after a conversation between the United States and Ukraine.
A report in the Financial Times of the UK stated that U.S. Vice President Davis recently asked Ukrainian President Zelensky to stop attacks on the Russian port of Novorossisk in the Black Sea. The report cited an unnamed Ukrainian official who said that during a call on July 31, Davis complained that Ukraine’s attacks on oil tankers carrying Kazakhstani oil had harmed U.S. companies and disrupted oil price stability, and asked Zelensky to cease these actions.
Zelenskyy’s office has not commented on this yet, but Ukraine is currently engaged in delicate negotiations with the Trump administration. The Ukrainian side is requesting support from the US to produce “Patriot” interceptor missiles, in order to protect Ukraine from attacks by Russian ballistic missiles and drone groups.
