Ukraine has reportedly proposed a deal to Russia to halt attacks on civilian ships in the Black Sea, according to Reuters. The offer is understood to be an attempt to reopen a crucial grain corridor, a key export route for both nations to transport foodstuffs worldwide.
Kyiv is said to have made the offer through a third party, with Moscow yet to issue a response. The reported overture comes as Ukraine's harvest season begins and shipping from its ports is at a virtual standstill.
Since July, Ukraine has reportedly closed the route for commercial Russian shipping, with its drones hitting nearly 220 vessels in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea. In the same period, Russia has escalated attacks on Ukraine's southern ports, which are crucial for grain and sunflower shipments.
The reported proposal follows a phone call on 31 July, during which US Vice-President JD Vance reportedly asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to cease some attacks on the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. Vance reportedly complained that Ukrainian strikes on tankers carrying oil from Kazakhstan were harming US companies and destabilising oil prices.
Ukraine and Russia previously signed a Black Sea grain initiative, brokered by Turkey and the UN, which lasted from July 2022 to July 2023. The agreement ended when the Kremlin reportedly refused to renew it.