Black Sea Grain Initiative Explained: How the Deal Worked and Why It Ended

Evergreen explainer in our Inside the Deal series. Editorial team: Frontline Diplomacy Editorial Team. This page is updated as developments occur; the update date is shown at the top of the page.

The Brief

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was a time-limited arrangement, signed in Istanbul on 22 July 2022, that allowed commercial vessels to export Ukrainian grain, other foodstuffs and fertilizer from three Black Sea ports despite the war. It was paired with a separate Russia-UN memorandum on Russian food and fertilizer exports. The mechanism worked for almost a year, then lapsed on 17 July 2023 when Russia declined to extend it.

Where Things Stand

The Initiative is not in force. Russia has said it could return only if its own export-related demands are met, while Ukraine and most of its partners say the corridor should not be tied to sanctions relief. Since August 2023, Ukraine has run its own temporary shipping route along the Black Sea coast, without the JCC or the inspection regime described below. Revival talks have surfaced repeatedly but have not produced a restored deal.

The Table: Who Wanted What

For the positions of Russia and Ukraine, we rely on their public statements, including Russian Foreign Ministry and Kremlin remarks and statements from Ukraine's government. Neither side described the arrangement as a political settlement; both treated it as a narrow, practical measure.

Inside the Deal: A Plain Reading

The Initiative text is short. This reading follows its substance rather than exact paragraph numbering, so check the official UN-published text when citing a specific article.

Two documents, not one

1. The Initiative on the Safe Transportation of Grain and Foodstuffs from Ukrainian Ports. Russia and Ukraine did not sign a single joint text. Each signed in parallel with Türkiye and the UN, which let them avoid direct bilateral commitments.
2. A memorandum of understanding between the Russian Federation and the UN Secretariat. It covers Russian food and fertilizer exports. Ukraine is not a party to it.

What the Initiative provided

• Covered ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi (Yuzhny).
• Covered cargo: grain, other foodstuffs and fertilizer, including ammonia.
• Safe passage: vessels moved along an agreed maritime humanitarian corridor. The parties committed to refrain from attacking merchant vessels and port facilities involved in the arrangement.
• Joint Coordination Centre: a body in Istanbul with senior representatives from Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the UN, responsible for approving ships, sailing schedules and inspection arrangements.
• Inspections: joint teams checked vessels, inbound and outbound, to confirm that inbound ships carried no weapons and that outbound ships carried only permitted cargo. Inspections took place in Turkish waters near Istanbul.
• Pilotage: Ukrainian pilots guided ships through Ukrainian waters.
• Duration: an initial 120 days, renewable unless a party objected.

The mechanism in practice

A shipping company would register a vessel with the JCC. The vessel then went through inspection, obtained clearance, and sailed in line with a schedule that the JCC circulated to all parties. Inbound empty ships were also inspected, which was Russia's main security safeguard. Disagreements over the speed of inspections and the backlog of waiting ships became a recurring friction point.

What the Russia-UN memorandum said

In the memorandum, the UN Secretariat undertook to support access to world markets for Russian food and fertilizer. Western sanctions did not directly target these goods, but Russia argued that restrictions on payments, insurance, shipping and port services in practice impeded them. The memorandum was a statement of UN assistance, not a Russian guarantee of sanctions relief, and the UN had no power to lift sanctions imposed by individual states or the European Union.

Timeline

Volumes: What the Corridor Delivered

According to UN figures, roughly 33 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs were shipped from the three ports over the life of the Initiative, on more than 1,000 voyages. Corn made up the largest share, followed by wheat, and cargoes reached dozens of countries. The World Food Programme chartered part of the wheat for humanitarian operations. The distribution of destinations was disputed: Russian officials argued that too little went to the poorest countries, while the UN stressed that lower global prices benefited all importers, including developing ones. Readers should check the UN's JCC data for detailed breakdowns rather than rely on rounded totals.

Renewals and Why It Ended

The Initiative was renewed several times, often at the last minute. Each renewal became a bargaining point: Russia tied its consent to progress on the memorandum, specifically citing the following unresolved issues:

• reconnecting a Russian agricultural bank to international payment systems
• restoring supplies of agricultural machinery and spare parts
• insurance and port access for Russian-linked vessels
• resuming the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline
• unblocking Russian-owned fertilizer held in some European ports

Ukraine and the UN said the Initiative itself was functioning and that the memorandum was a separate track. Ukraine also rejected the idea that its export corridor should depend on concessions to Russia. UN Secretary-General António Guterres sent proposals to address Russian concerns, but they did not satisfy Moscow. On 17 July 2023, the Kremlin stated that its participation was suspended and could resume if its conditions were met. The corridor ceased to function in practice.

What to Watch

• Any renewed maritime security arrangement. A new text would need to settle inspections, safe passage and what Russia would receive in return. Past discussions, including contacts in early 2025 on Black Sea navigation, stalled because Russia linked implementation to sanctions relief for its agricultural sector, which other states did not grant.
• Attacks on ports and ships. Strikes on Ukrainian port infrastructure and the risk to merchant shipping shape insurers' decisions and any prospects for a deal.
• Sanctions decisions. Any change in payment or insurance access for Russian agricultural exports would be the clearest signal of a possible deal.
• Ukraine's own corridor. Its performance shows whether a negotiated mechanism is still necessary for exports.
• Mediation formats. Whether Türkiye or another party is asked to host a new technical process. Our Mediation Files hub follows these tracks.

Source Comparison

• UN sources present the Initiative as a successful humanitarian and market-stabilizing tool and publish JCC data on tonnage, vessels and destinations. They frame the memorandum as a separate but linked commitment.
• Russian official sources emphasize that the memorandum's promises were not delivered, and describe the Initiative as having benefited wealthier importers more than poorer ones. They have framed the exit as a response to unmet obligations, not as a rejection of food security aims.
• Ukrainian official sources present the Initiative as a lifeline for the agricultural economy and global food prices, and Russia's exit as a deliberate blockade of exports. They reject the link to sanctions relief.
• Turkish official sources stress the cooperative and facilitative nature of the process, the importance of dialogue, and willingness to host a revival. Turkish coverage tends to highlight Türkiye's mediation capacity more than the disputes over implementation.
• Independent analysts generally note that the Initiative worked while both sides saw benefits, and that the unresolved memorandum tied it to the wider sanctions debate. Where figures differ, treat each as the source's claim, not an agreed fact.

Perspective Note

Frontline Diplomacy covers international diplomacy with a dedicated perspective from Türkiye. Sections marked 'Türkiye's Role' reflect official Turkish policy as stated by Turkish government sources.

Cross-Publication Dossiers & Sister Desk Perspectives

For complementary primary-source analysis across our specialist editorial network, consult:

• Doctrine Review: The Black Sea Grain Initiative: How It Worked and Why It Ended — Black Sea Grain Initiative explained: how the Istanbul deal brokered by the UN and Türkiye worked, what the JCC did, and why Russia suspended it in July 2023.
• WorldPoliticsDaily: How Did the Black Sea Grain Initiative Work and What Was Türkiye's Role? — Black Sea Grain Initiative explained: how the July 2022 deals worked, the Istanbul JCC, ship inspections, the Russia-UN memorandum, and why it ended.
• Interstate Journal: Black Sea Grain Initiative: How Türkiye Helped Broker the Deal — How Türkiye and the UN brokered the July 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, how the Istanbul centre worked, why Russia quit in 2023 and whether it can return.