Russia and Ukraine had nearly managed to work out a deal on shipping safety in the Black Sea before said draft agreement was torpedoed by Kiev at the last moment, Reuters claims citing “people familiar with the matter.”
According to the media outlet, the deal was reached in March with the help of Turkiye who mediated the negotiations, and was meant to “ensure the safety of merchant shipping in the Black Sea."
Though the Ukrainian side was for some reason reluctant to sign the agreement formally, “it gave its assent for Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to announce it on March 30,” as the media outlet put it. However, "at the very last minute, Ukraine suddenly pulled out and the deal was scuttled," one of the sources said.
All of the parties allegedly involved in these talks – namely, Russia, Ukraine and Turkiye – declined to comment on this matter, the media outlet adds.
In July 2022, Russia and Ukraine signed on to the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations, which provided for a humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea to facilitate safe maritime traffic of Russian and Ukrainian agricultural products and fertilizers.
In 2023, however, Russia refused to renew the deal as it expired, pointing at persistent violations of the deal’s aspects related to Russian grain and fertilizer exports.