Belarus to allow the passage of Ukrainian grains in exchange for access to Baltic ports

Minsk is willing to enable grain passage from Ukraine to Baltic Sea ports via Belarus if the country is permitted to ship Belarusian commodities through those ports, according to the Belta news agency on June 3, citing Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Ukraine, a major global grain exporter, has been unable to use its Black Sea ports since Russia sent thousands of troops into the country in February.

Exports from Ukraine via Belarus have been one of the options raised in UN-led discussions to find solutions to boost global grain supplies as a major food crisis looms. Unblocking Ukraine’s Black Sea ports is another option.

In a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the 3rd, Lukashenko said Belarus was ready to make its railways available for Ukraine’s grains and proposed negotiations between Belarus, Ukraine, and other countries prepared to provide access to its ports.

“At the same time, the most important thing, as was mentioned during the conversation, is that these ports – in Germany, Poland, the Baltic States, or Russia – are also open for Belarusian goods,” Belta said.

“If conditions for the transit of Ukrainian grains are provided, the ports that will handle it must also be capable of receiving commodities from Belarus,” he added.

Belarus, a major world potash producer, was hit by tough Western sanctions in 2021-2022 that halted its fertilizer exports through Baltic Sea ports.

Financial sanctions imposed on Moscow since February 24 have also hit Russian fertilizer exporters and disrupted the global supply chain, raising the risk of a food crisis.

Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that any agreement to reopen the region’s commodities exports was still a long way off because “the reality that everything is interconnected makes negotiations exceptionally complex.”

Russia and Belarus blamed Western sanctions for disrupting grain and fertilizer exports and causing the global food crisis.

Source: Money Times

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https://www.moneytimes.com.br/lukashenko-diz-estar-pronto-para-discutir-possivel-transito-de-graos-da-ucrania-via-belarus/

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