Russia blocked the registration of incoming vessels in all ports of Ukraine, halting the grain initiative

Russia has blocked the registration of incoming fleets in all ports of Ukraine, thus halting the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine reported this on its Facebook page on June 1st.

"The Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul announced the impossibility of compiling an inspection plan for June 1st due to the russian delegation's repeated unjustified refusal to register the incoming fleet for participation in the initiative", - the statement said. "During the two days, May 30th and 31st, russia registered only 1 incoming vessel for inspection at the port of Chornomorsk without explanation, while other JCC participants confirmed the participation of 10 vessels for three ports in the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Russia's destructive position and the lack of registered vessels for inspection make it impossible to compile an inspection plan for today, as all parties were notified by the JCC Secretariat".

It is noted that there are 50 vessels waiting for inspection in the territorial waters of Turkey, which are expected to load 2.4 million tons of food for the world. This is almost twice the volume exported in May. Some vessels have been waiting for JCC inspections for over 3 months, resulting in more than $1 billion in losses that affect the final cost of food for the world.

It is emphasized that the blocking of the registration of the new incoming fleet, as well as the blocking of the largest port, Pivdennyi constitutes a gross violation of the terms of the Grain Initiative, which russia has also signed.

"The Ukrainian delegation has sent a letter to the JCC Secretariat demanding the resumption of full-scale work with 3 inspection teams and 9 inspections per day, as required by JCC procedures. Ukrainian inspectors are currently present at the JCC and are ready to start work immediately upon the restoration of vessel registration", - the ministry writes.

Earlier, it was reported that grain exports through the "grain corridor" increased by 80% in one week.