Demining the Black Sea will add to Putin’s list of defeats and strengthen the security of Ukrainian grain exports
In the coming days, Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey plan to sign a trilateral agreement on the demining of the Black Sea, Bulgarian Defence Minister Todor Tagarev has said. The process itself, according to different estimates, may last from several months to 5 years. The seizure and destruction of sea mines will be carried out with the help of 20 minesweepers, 6 of which belong to Turkey.
In the second half of 2023, after the Russian Federation withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine exported about 17.5 tonnes of cereals and leguminous crops. This was a crucial contribution to global food security: Ukraine unilaterally resumed food exports in the most difficult conditions of continuous missile and drone attacks on port infrastructure and attempts by the Russian Black Sea Fleet to organise a blockade of the north-western part of the Black Sea. The professional actions of the AFU contributed to the Kremlin’s defeat: the destruction of a number of Russian ships and one Russian submarine caused Russia to lose control over the Black Sea: a major achievement for Ukraine and an invaluable contribution to global food security.
Any further attempts by the Russian Federation to launch maritime terror must be firmly resisted. Ukraine has demonstrated to the whole world that the Black Sea Fleet is vulnerable. Its combat potential must be destroyed and the remnants locked in the ports of Novorossiysk. Putin must not have even a minimal opportunity to blackmail the world with a global famine. Demining the Black Sea is one of the most important prerequisites for global food stability.
