Ukraine grain clears check in Istanbul

ISTANBUL－The first grain-laden ship leaving Ukraine passed through Istanbul's Bosporus Strait on Wednesday and continued to its destination after the inspection team gave it the green light.

A joint inspection team spent three hours checking the cargo and crew of the Sierra Leone-flagged ship Razoni, which left the Black Sea port of Odessa on Monday carrying Ukrainian corn, a United Nations statement said.

The Razoni is expected to arrive at its destination in Lebanon on Sunday, with a cargo of over 26,000 tons of corn. It reached the northern edge of the Bosporus on Tuesday. The ship's passage marks the first large shipment of Ukrainian grain to international markets as a part of a deal backed by the UN between Turkiye, Russia and Ukraine signed on July 22.

The agreement aims to resume food and fertilizer exports from the Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea. Some 20 million tons of grain are still held in Ukrainian silos, waiting to be exported, according to Turkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency.

The ship's passage was overseen by an international team that includes Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul. The checks sought to ensure that outbound cargo ships carry only grain, fertilizer or food, and that inbound ships are not carrying weapons.

Ukraine said 17 other vessels were "loaded and awaiting permission to leave", but there was no word yet on when they could depart, The Associated Press reported.

Hopes voiced

"Further ships are already ready for departure. They will depart from the ports that are part of the grain initiative in accordance with the agreed schedule, and we hope that everything will work out," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said at a joint news conference in Kyiv with his Estonian counterpart.

Ukraine needs to export some 50 million tons of grain in the 2022-2023 marketing year amid the need to store last year's crops and grain from the new harvest, an industry body said on Wednesday.

Ukraine is set to harvest 55-60 million tons of cereals and oilseeds this year, with domestic demand projected to be 20 million tons, the Ukrainian Agri Council said in a statement.

Ukrainian farmers have already reaped some 12 million tons of cereals this year from 30 percent of the planted areas, the statement said. Currently, Ukraine has 18-20 million tons of grain in its silos from last year's harvest, according to the Ukrainian government.

Also on Wednesday, the US Senate ratified the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO, backing the expansion of the alliance.

The Senate voted 95 to 1 in favor of the two Nordic countries' accession, making the United States the 23rd of the 30 NATO countries to formally endorse it so far, after Italy approved it earlier on Wednesday and France on Tuesday.

The French parliament has ratified the accession protocols of Sweden and Finland, with 209 deputies voting in favor and 46 against.

Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May. Russia has repeatedly warned both countries against joining the alliance. NATO's 30 allies signed the accession protocol for them last month.

Agencies - Xinhua