The White House warns Russia could attack civilian ships in the Black Sea now that a key deal is dead.
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The White House warned Russia could attack civilian shipping in the Black Sea after a grain deal died.
The UN initiative that expired Monday allowed food to be transported out of three Ukrainian ports.
Russia has attacked Ukrainian port infrastructure, destroying grains, and driving global prices up.
Russia could be dangerous even to civilian ships in the Black Sea now that a crucial accord — the Black Sea grain deal — is dead, the White House warned on Wednesday.
“Our information indicates that Russia laid additional sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports,” Adam Hodge, the White House National Security Council spokesperson, said in a statement, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
“We believe that this is a coordinated effort to justify any attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and lay blame on Ukraine for these attacks,” Hodge said.
The White House’s assessment followed the Russian defense ministry’s declaration that areas in the northwestern and southeastern international waters of the Black Sea as “temporarily dangerous for navigation,” according to TASS state news agency on Wednesday.
The Russian ministry said all ships traveling across the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports will be “considered potential carriers of military-purpose cargoes” from Thursday onwards, per TASS.
The Black Sea grain deal that expired Monday allowed food and fertilizer cargoes to exit from three key Ukrainian ports despite a Russian blockade. The deal was struck in July 2022 to allow Ukraine to continue exporting its food products to the global market amid an ongoing global food crisis. Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat, a staple grain to much of the world.
The UN had to convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea grain deal last year by dangling a quid pro quo deal to allow Russia to keep exporting food and fertilizer. But Moscow said restrictions — such as those targeting payments and insurance — are making it difficult for the country to ship its produce. As a result, the Black Sea grain deal was scrapped.
Russian President Putin said Wednesday he would return to the grain deal if the country’s demands are met, per TASS. These demands include reconnecting a sanctioned Russian state bank to the SWIFT messaging system and lifting insurance restrictions for Russian vessels and cargo.
Meanwhile, the grains market is in turmoil.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on Wednesday that Russia attacked the infrastructure at Odesa, a key port, on the same day. About 60,000 metric tons of farm products were damaged, he said.
Wheat futures surged 8% on Wednesday following news of Russia’s port attacks.
The White House and the Kremlin did not immediately respond to Insider’s requests for comment.