Updates from Ukraine: Odesa receives first grain shipment

Grain has been shipped out of Ukraine, marking the first such consignment since a deal between Moscow and Kyiv. More, one hopes, will come. The US has unveiled a new armaments package in the meanwhile. DW compiles the most recent.

Ukraine’s efforts to reopen a maritime safe passage could potentially lift exports, but the market is watching for a response from Moscow, which has said it would treat any ships headed to Ukraine’s ports as potentially carrying weapons.

Ukraine is a major grain exporter and historically shipped agricultural products all over the world from its Black Sea ports, which have been blocked since Moscow exited the United Nations and Turkey-brokered deal.

This has forced Kyiv to use complicated and expensive river, rail, and road routes to ship its crops, and they have also been targeted by Russian drones in recent weeks. However, a combination of continued strong exports out of Russia and the possibility of exports coming through ports that were part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative has weighed on grain prices. Ukraine is also proposing a new mechanism that would require exporters shipping grain to neighboring European Union countries to get permission in advance. An additional four vessels are expected to arrive in Chornomorsk in late September and early October.

While the successful reopening of a maritime safe passage could spur trade, shipowners, crew, and insurers are wary of sailing through the Black Sea, where risks have been escalating.