18 hours ago 5

Ukraine and EU’s Standing in the Global South Will Plummet If They Reject Russia-US Grain Deal Push

Negotiations on the restoration of the safe and trouble-free export of Russian and Ukrainian foodstuffs from Black Sea ports “should make a very real difference in alleviating food insecurity among a number of nations in the Global South that are in actual need,” says veteran financial analyst Paul Goncharoff.

“The very fact that this issue of food security has taken primacy in the possible ceasefire talks…is an indicator that the adults are seriously discussing ways and means to begin productive discussions by coming to some form of agreement on this universally necessary humanitarian food issue,” Goncharoff told Sputnik.

“This will raise the image of both Russia and the USA in the Global South. Equally, if Ukraine and Brussels show disinterest, it would seriously blow back on their image as reasonable counterparties,” Goncharoff warned.

As for why the Black Sea Grain Initiative has been brought up now, before any actual ceasefire is in place or even rumored, doing so “sets the stage for a negotiations process that starts with a ‘Win’” for all sides, creating an important “positive tone, aside from being simply the right thing to do,” the observer explained.

🚨Kremlin Drops KEY Details on POINTS OF AGREEMENT From Latest Russia-US Meeting on Ukraine Peace

Russian and US negotiators spent twelve grueling hours Monday discussing steps to put the crisis to rest. Here’s what was agreed, according to the Russian side.
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— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) March 25, 2025

What Was the Original Black Sea Grain Initiative?

Brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations in mid-2022, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was designed to allow Russian and Ukrainian grain-carrying ships to transit the Black Sea without fear of attack at sea amid the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia suspended its participation in the initiative in July 2023, citing numerous violations in the spirit and letter of the agreement, including Ukrainian ships' use of the arrangement to smuggle arms into Ukraine, and efforts by the US and its allies to strangle Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports globally.

Russian officials also expressed annoyance at the fact that while the UN had assured that the agreement would help ensure food security in the Global South, the vast majority of Ukrainian deliveries had been diverted to wealthy European countries and Turkiye. Russia consequently shipped emergency grain supplies to six at-risk African nations, free of charge.

Russia received assurances from the US during Monday's talks in Riyadh that the restoration of the grain deal would be accompanied by a lifting of sanctions and other restrictions targeting Russian food and fertilizer exports, its top agricultural bank, insurance, Russian-flagged vessels, and restrictions on Russia's ability to import agricultural machinery and other food production-related equipment.