Black Sea Grain Initiative

This article is about the 2022 Russia–Ukraine grain agreement. For the 1995 agreement by the International Grains Council, see International Grains Agreement.
Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports
A vector graphic showing the countries involved and the principles of the agreement
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Date effective22 July 2022 (2022-07-22) – 17 July 2023 (2023-07-17)
LocationDolmabahçe Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
Signatories Ukraine
 Russia[a]
 Turkey
 United Nations
SubjectExport of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers
Full text
Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports at Wikisource

The Black Sea Grain Initiative[1] (or the Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports[b] commonly called the grain deal in the media) was an agreement among Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations (UN) during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The invasion in February 2022 led to a complete halt of maritime grain shipments from Ukraine, previously a major exporter via the Black Sea. Additionally Russia temporarily halted its grain exports, further exacerbating the situation. This resulted in a rise in world food prices and the threat of famine in lower-income countries, and accusation that Russia was weaponizing food supplies.[2] To address the issue, discussions began in April, hosted by Turkey (which controls the maritime routes from the Black Sea) and supported by the UN. The resulting agreement was signed in Istanbul on 22 July, valid for a period of 120 days. The July agreement created procedures to safely export grain from certain ports to attempt to address a worldwide food crisis. A joint coordination and inspection center was set up in Turkey, with the UN serving as secretariat.

The original agreement was set to expire on 19 November 2022. Russia suspended its participation in the agreement for several days due to a drone attack on Russian naval ships elsewhere in the Black Sea, but rejoined following mediation.[3] On 17 November 2022, the UN and Ukraine announced that the agreement had been extended for a further 120 days.[4] In March 2023, Turkey and the UN announced that they secured a second extension for at least another 60 days.[5][6] In May 2023, the deal was once again extended for 60 days, expiring on 18 July.[7]

By mid-July 2023, more than 1000 voyages had successfully left Ukrainian ports carrying nearly 33 million tonnes of grain and other food products to 45 countries.[8]

In summer 2023, Russia repeatedly claimed it would withdraw from the deal in July 2023 unless its demands were met.[9][10] By July 17, 2023, no new agreement to renew the deal had been reached, causing the deal to expire.[11]


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  1. ^ "Joint Coordination Centre opens in Istanbul to facilitate safe export of commercial foodstuffs and fertilizers from Ukrainian ports". reliefweb.int. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ Prange, Astrid (May 28, 2022). "Fact check: Are food supplies being weaponized?". DW News. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  3. ^ "Putin: We could quit grain deal again, but would not block grain for Turkey". Reuters. 2022-11-02. Archived from the original on 2023-05-14. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Ukraine, UN Announce Grain Deal Extension". The Moscow Times. November 17, 2022. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 17, 2022.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Erkoyun, Ezgi; Soldatkin, Vladimir (5 March 2023). Sithole-Matarise, Emelia (ed.). "Turkey says it is working to renew Black Sea grain deal". Reuters. Archived from the original on 15 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
  7. ^ Liffey, Kevin (2023-05-17). Smith, Alexander (ed.). "Russia confirms Black Sea grain deal renewed for two months". Reuters. Archived from the original on 26 May 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-17.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference un-20221022 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Kremlin says 'no grounds' to extend grain deal". Reuters. 2023-06-21. Archived from the original on 4 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  10. ^ Di Sario, Federica (2023-06-10). "Moscow threatens to walk away from grain deal if export requests aren't met". POLITICO. Retrieved 2023-07-04.
  11. ^ "One year of the Black Sea Initiative: Key facts and figures". 10 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.