Russia Begins Free Grain Shipments to Africa; Ukraine Utilizes New Black Sea Corridor

Following Russia's withdrawal from a UN-brokered grain deal, Ukraine has successfully shipped millions of tonnes of grain via a new shipping corridor.

• Russia has begun free shipments of grain to six African countries, fulfilling a promise made by President Vladimir Putin in July.
• Shipments to Burkina Faso and Somalia have already left Russian ports, with additional shipments to Eritrea, Zimbabwe, Mali and the Central African Republic soon to follow.
• Russia's move comes after the country withdrew from a UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal that allowed Ukraine to ship grain from its Black Sea ports.
• Since Russia's withdrawal from the deal, Ukraine has established a new Black Sea shipping corridor, through which it has shipped 4.4 million metric tonnes of cargo, including 3.2 million tonnes of grain.
• Ukraine's economy, which shrank by about a third last year, is heavily reliant on grain exports and is expected to grow by about 5% this year.

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