Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated on 14 August that Moscow sees no grounds for agreeing to a moratorium on military operations in the Black Sea.
Responding to questions from journalists, Zakharova said that the Russian side had not yet received, through official channels, a corresponding proposal from Turkey that would specify the terms of the initiative. She ruled out the possibility of reviving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was in force from July 2022 to July 2023, describing this as “inappropriate”.
Zakharova also accused Ukraine of attacking ships in the Black Sea, whilst making no mention of the attacks carried out by Russia. According to her, Moscow “sees no preconditions for an improvement in the situation and, consequently, no grounds for half-measures”.
On 9 August, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that Turkey had proposed a moratorium to Russia and Ukraine on attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea. Fidan noted that both Russia and Ukraine had received this proposal, and that Ankara was awaiting a response.
Ukraine is a major exporter of maize, wheat, rapeseed, sunflower seeds and vegetable oil; 90 per cent of its commodity exports pass through the Black Sea ports in and around Odessa.
Over the summer, Russian forces intensified their attacks on the Odesa region, particularly targeting port infrastructure to hinder Ukrainian exports. Russia claims that its attacks are allegedly directed against military infrastructure, logistics facilities and vessels transporting foreign weapons.
In early August, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority noted that for over a month, Russia had been carrying out near-daily strikes on Ukraine’s port infrastructure and civilian merchant vessels in the waters of Ukrainian ports and travelling through the Ukrainian maritime corridor.
According to analysts at the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russian forces are likely shifting the targets of their strikes from the Ukrainian maritime corridor to the land corridor in order to deliberately disrupt Ukrainian grain exports and, more broadly, undermine the Ukrainian economy.
On 13 August, Reuters, citing a source familiar with the matter, reported that Ukraine had proposed to Russia that it cease attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea, against a backdrop of concerns regarding global food supplies. According to the report, Kyiv conveyed the proposal to halt the attacks via a third party, and Ukraine is still awaiting a response. Kyiv has not made any official announcement on this matter.