Ukraine is holding talks with Turkey, India and Egypt on a possible arrangement to reopen Black Sea civil navigation, with a focus on restoring agricultural exports from Ukrainian ports.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the discussions concern safe passage for vessels sailing under the flags of the three countries and calling at both Ukrainian and Russian ports. Under the proposed arrangement, the parties would agree not to strike vessels covered by the mechanism.
Context: Black Sea
“One ship heading to our port, and the other to Russian and we accept agreements not to strike either of these vessels,” Zelenskyy said in an interview with Bloomberg News.
Operational context
Ukraine’s Black Sea ports remain its principal route for food exports and are capable of handling up to 40 million tons of grain during a marketing season. However, seaborne grain shipments have been halted since August amid Russian air attacks on port infrastructure and vessels.
Zelenskyy said rail transport cannot replace the lost Black Sea export capacity. “We cannot manage this volume of shipments by rail,” he said.
According to Zelenskyy, Turkey, Egypt and India have proposed safe navigation arrangements for ships flying their flags. He said Russia has opposed the initiative despite repeated appeals by intermediaries from the three countries.
The disruption has significantly reduced Ukraine’s export capability. The country can currently export only 38% of its regular volumes, according to Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry.
Kyiv has also asked the European Union to renew its so-called solidarity lanes programme, which enabled Ukrainian grain to move through European rail networks and ports after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
“We are asking the EU to reinstate the ‘solidarity lanes’ to facilitate grain exports,” Zelenskyy said. “Everyone needs this grain.”
Ukraine has faced major strikes against civilian port facilities following its attacks last summer on vessels described as part of Russia’s shadow fleet, which is used largely to transport sanctioned oil and fuel products. The renewed push for a navigation arrangement highlights the importance of securing maritime access for Ukrainian agricultural cargoes while overland alternatives remain unable to handle equivalent volumes.