Black Sea Grain Initiative

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was an agreement signed on July 22, 2022, at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations, structured as two mirrored agreements rather than one document directly between Ukraine and Russia. It created demined shipping corridors from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, with vessels inspected by a Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul, so that grain and other food exports could resume despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the resulting global food crisis. Over roughly one year of operation, more than 1,100 voyages carried nearly 33 million tonnes of grain to over 40 countries. Russia allowed the deal to lapse on July 17, 2023, after renewal talks failed over its demands, including reconnection of its agricultural bank to the SWIFT payment system. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/