Russia initiated a wave of drone attacks on Ukraine’s vital grain-exporting port of Izmail just hours before a crucial meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The attack left the international community anxiously watching as the leaders prepared to convene in Sochi, with the fate of a Ukrainian grain export deal hanging in the balance.
Ukraine Defends Izmail Port, Downing 17 Drones
Ukraine’s Air Force took swift action early on Monday, urging residents of Izmail port, a key grain-exporting hub nestled along the picturesque Danube River in the Odesa region, to seek shelter. Governor Oleh Kiper later confirmed that 17 drones were successfully intercepted by Ukrainian air defense forces. However, the attack inflicted extensive damage upon the port’s infrastructure, including warehouses, production facilities, and agricultural machinery. Fortunately, preliminary reports suggest that there were no casualties or injuries.
High-Stakes Talks in Sochi Over Ukraine’s Grain Export Deal
Monday’s drone assault unfolded against the backdrop of high-stakes negotiations between Putin and Erdogan in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi. At the heart of their discussions lay the fate of a critical Ukrainian grain export deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022. This landmark agreement had allowed the export of nearly 33 million metric tonnes (36 million tonnes) of grain and other commodities from three Ukrainian ports, providing much-needed relief to regions grappling with food shortages across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
However, Moscow withdrew from the deal six weeks ago, citing obstacles hindering its food and fertilizer exports and expressing dissatisfaction with the allocation of Ukrainian grain to countries in need. Consequently, Russia unleashed a series of attacks on the Danube River ports, with Sunday’s strike on the major port of Reni inflicting damage on its infrastructure and causing at least two injuries.
Russia Demands SWIFT Reconnection for Grain Exports
A key figure in Erdogan’s camp, Alif Cagatay Kilic, Erdogan’s chief foreign policy and security adviser, emphasized the paramount importance of the upcoming meeting between Putin and Erdogan. Kilic asserted that the summit would play a pivotal role in rejuvenating the grain corridor, which has far-reaching implications for global food security.
Erdogan, who has maintained close ties with Putin throughout the 18-month war and refrained from imposing Western sanctions on Russia, has repeatedly expressed his commitment to reviving the Black Sea deal. He sympathized with Putin’s expectations from Western countries and emphasized the crucial nature of their involvement.
Russia has presented specific demands to improve its grain and fertilizer exports, with one of the central requests being the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT international payments system—a move that the European Union cut off in June 2022. While Western sanctions do not target Russian food and fertilizer exports directly, Moscow has complained about restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance that have disrupted shipments.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has intensified its efforts to resuscitate the grain export deal. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres extended a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov containing “concrete proposals” aimed at facilitating Moscow’s access to global markets. However, Russian officials expressed dissatisfaction, characterizing the letter as a reiteration of previous UN ideas that failed to gain traction.
