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Ukraine has asked Turkey to help restore safe and stable Black Sea shipping, warning that restrictions on port operations caused by Russian attacks put around 32 million tons of agricultural products worth approximately $10 billion at risk, Ukraine’s Agriculture Ministry said.
Russia’s attacks on commercial vessels and Ukrainian port operations have disrupted the country’s Black Sea shipping routes, threatening agricultural exports that are a major source of revenue for Ukraine’s economy.
With alternative routes unable to handle the full volume of maritime shipments, prolonged disruption could reduce farmers’ incomes, constrain investment in the next planting season and deepen the economic impact of the war.
Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskyi raised the issue during a meeting with Turkish Ambassador to Ukraine Fatma Ceren Yazgan earlier this week. He said alternative export routes via the Danube, railways and roads cannot fully replace maritime shipments.
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"Without the restoration of stable shipping through the Black Sea, production will begin to decline in the long term," Vysotskyi said, adding that farmers need greater certainty ahead of the spring sowing season.
He warned that lower export revenues could leave farmers with fewer resources to purchase seeds, fertilizers and crop protection products, potentially leading to reduced planting areas and affecting rural communities.
Yazgan said Turkey was ready to help find practical solutions and raise the issue with international partners. The two sides also discussed cooperation on irrigation projects and the potential involvement of Turkish businesses.
Separately, Turkey has been discussing a temporary, partial ceasefire with Ukraine and Russia to protect merchant vessels carrying civilian cargo, according to Turkey’s permanent representative to NATO, Basat Ozturk. Ankara hopes to draw on its experience with the Black Sea Grain Initiative to develop a new maritime security mechanism.
Restoring reliable Black Sea shipping is critical to Ukraine’s agricultural export revenues and future production. The economic impact of any truce would depend on effective protection for commercial vessels and sustained access to Ukrainian ports.