Black Sea Ceasefire Hopes Dashed as Ukraine Warns of Disastrous Grain Export Outlook

Ukraine's Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi says there is no hope for a ceasefire in the Black Sea region that would allow grain exports to resume. According to him, all possible solutions have been tried, and Russia has rejected proposals from Ukraine's partners.

Vysotskyi made these comments in an interview in Brussels, where he was set to update European Union peers on the situation later this week. The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has disrupted grain supplies, pushing up prices. Ukraine makes up a quarter of global wheat shipments, and Russia is also a major player.

The two countries have been attacking each other's port facilities since July, causing crop supplies to be severely impacted. Turkey had said it was trying to re-establish a grain corridor through the Black Sea, but Vysotskyi says this will not happen soon.

Ukraine has seen an increase in exports using alternative routes, but these can only handle 50% of what needs to be shipped. This means around 30 million tons of agricultural commodities may not be exported from Ukraine this marketing year.