Well, we didn't have to wait long. On Friday, Russia's defense minister gave hope to a hungry world by signing a pact with the Turkish president and the UN secretary-general, under which Moscow committed to help Ukraine's massive grain exports resume via ports in the Black Sea..

Russia blocked these ports, causing a crisis in global food markets. Less than 24 hours after the signing, Russian warships fired four missiles at the port of Odessa. Two Ukrainian air defense missiles shot down, two more damaged the port infrastructure. Although no one was killed and grain was not damaged, writes the Washington Post in an editorial. U.S. Ambassador to Kyiv Bridget Brink called the attack "

Saturday's events did not surprise those who have long followed Vladimir Putin and his behavior both in this war and in others.. He is famous for violating humanitarian agreements that created safe " Often Russian troops fired on people in these corridors, arrested them and mistreated them.. If Russia complied with the new agreement, it would thereby abandon the strategy to block Ukraine's income from agricultural exports. This strategy also includes the theft and resale of Ukrainian grain, as well as the burning of crops in Ukrainian fields.. The publication admits that Moscow could not violate the letter of the agreement, it all depends on which part of the port its missiles hit. In the agreements, Russia left itself a loophole in the form of the right to shell those parts of Ukrainian ports that are not directly used for export.. However, it was still a violation of the spirit of the deal..

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All this explains why Ukraine was wise not to sign an agreement directly with Russia, preferring a process that technically consists of Kyiv and Moscow's parallel commitments to Turkey and the UN.. In fact, the Ukrainian side only offered to escort cargo through its sea minefields, and not the real demining of the water area, which would weaken the defense against the Russian fleet. At the same time, Ukrainian officials acted wisely in announcing after the Russian attack that they were going to continue to implement the agreement.. This not only meets the economic interests of Ukraine. The point is also that one of the goals of the Russian attack was to provoke a Ukrainian withdrawal from the agreements.. And after that, Moscow could blame Kyiv for all the consequences.

And the extent of the failure of the transaction can be easily assessed if you think about the benefits of its successful execution.. In 2021, Ukraine was among the ten largest exporters of wheat. In particular, its deliveries were received by such densely populated countries as Egypt, Bangladesh, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan, as well as smaller states like Lebanon.. The UN Global Food Program received 40% of its wheat from Ukraine before the start of the Russian invasion.

At a time when even wealthy countries are experiencing rising food prices, millions of people around the world could benefit from unlocking 20 million tons of Ukrainian grain over the next 120 days..

If Putin destroys the agreement before it is implemented, he will be responsible for it.. Meanwhile, Turkey and the UN must fulfill their role as guarantors by bringing the Russian autocrat to justice.. In turn, the United States should send Ukraine the weapons it needs to protect ports..