Ukrainian acting Agriculture Minister Maksym Martyniuk
The imposition of martial law is not affecting Ukrainian grain shipments from ports on the Azov Sea so far and if necessary they can be diverted to the Black Sea, Ukraine's acting agriculture minister told Reuters on Wednesday.
More broadly, the prospects for grain exports from the Azov Sea are unclear at this point, Maksym Martyniuk said in messaged comments.
Ukraine began martial law in some areas of the country on Wednesday, imposed after Russia captured three Ukrainian vessels and their crews over the weekend in what Kiev fears could be a precursor to a full-scale Russian invasion.
Among the biggest grain exporters in the world, Ukraine accuses Russia of trying to impose a de facto blockade on its ports on the Azov Sea, including Mariupol and Berdyansk, which export grain and steel and import coal.
Ukraine's top diplomat in Germany urged Berlin and other Western states to punish Russia by extending sanctions, banning energy imports and putting the NordStream 2 gas pipeline on hold after Moscow seized three Ukrainian ships near Crimea.The ambassador even raised the possibility of sending German marines to the region.Several senior European politicians have raised the possibility of new sanctions against Russia after the incident on Sunday, which the West fears could ignite a wider conflict near Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014."Germany must take a clear line ... and put (Russian President Vladimir) Putin in his place," ambassador Andrij Melnyk told German radio on Wednesday. "Everything is at stake.""The club of sanctions should be wielded quickly .... There should be a complete ban on gas and oil imports from Russia, NordStream 2 must be put on ice," he said, adding only such measures could stop Putin's "brutal, hoooligan-like" behaviour.Russia to deploy new S-400 missiles on CrimeaUkraine is already nervous about the prospect of the NordStream 2 pipeline which increases Europe's reliance on Russian gas, fearing it will lose out on transit revenues."In military terms, what can you do? Sending German marines to the coast of Crimea ... could help stop an escalation. If you are there, Russians have fewer possibilities to act so brutally," he said."If you don't do anything, you can barely hope that this will come to an end," said Melnyk.So far, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for de-escalation and dialogue.The foreign minister of Austria, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, has said any extension of sanctions imposed on Russia over its actions in Ukraine would depend on further information about the incident and how the two sides behave.Russia opened fire on the Ukrainian boats, then seized them and their crews on Sunday. Moscow and Kiev have tried to pin blame on each other. Russian court jails 12 Ukrainian sailors for 2 months
'Put Putin in his place', Ukrainian ambassador tells Germany
When asked if the start of martial law had had an impact on grain exports, Martyniuk said: "Not yet."
He said exports would be diverted to the Black Sea if they could not move freely on the Azov Sea. "The outlook is unclear," he added.
Several traders told Reuters that buyers were refusing supplies from the Azov Sea ports. One predicted there would be few or no trades out of Berdyansk and Mariupol in the near future because buyers do not want to take shipments from those locations.
"In general there is not much panic in the market, as Azov port exports only affect about 4 to 5 percent of total grain exports out of Ukraine," the trader said.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expressed support late Tuesday for Ukraine amid its deepening crisis with Russia in the latest escalation of their four-year conflict."There is no justification for Russia's use of military force against Ukrainian ships and naval personnel. We call on Russia to release the Ukrainian sailors and ships it seized without delay," the military alliance said in a statement.NATO said Russian violence against Ukrainian vessels and sailors is unacceptable."In view of Russia's use of military force against Ukraine near the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait, NATO Allies call on Russia to ensure unhindered access to Ukrainian ports and allow freedom of navigation," the statement said.France calls on Russia and Ukraine to scale back tensions"We reiterate our full support to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and territorial waters.”NATO said it stands with Ukraine and will continue to provide it with political and practical support and monitor the situation.It also strongly condemned Russia's illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea, saying the organization won't recognize the move.Russia seized two Ukrainian navy ships and a navy tugboat along with 23 crew members Sunday off Crimea, accusing Kiev of entering its waters and provoking a conflict.It said the vessels had ignored calls to stop, sparking military action.Russia intervened as the Ukrainian ships were relocating from the Black Sea port of Odessa to the port of Mariupol in the Sea of Azov.Poland would join any moves to step up Russian sanctions over UkraineVideos appeared online showing a Russian coast guard vessel ramming the Ukrainian navy tugboat in the Kerch Strait.Ukraine also accused Russian warships of opening fire on the ships, asserting that crew members were wounded and the vessels were seized by Russia.Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a controversial referendum.Turkey, as well as the UN General Assembly, viewed the annexation as illegal.Ukraine has also blamed Russia for separatist violence in eastern Ukraine near the border with Russia.
NATO backs Ukraine amid crisis with Russia
Mariupol port said it was operating normally with three ships loaded, one of them delivering steel products to Spain and two others delivering steel and slabs to the United Kingdom.
"Vessels are still moving to Mariupol and Berdyansk. There is no cancellation of operations and traders only add a few days for the expected delay," a Ukraine-based trader said.
Sunday's clash has raised the possibility of new punitive sanctions being imposed on Russia by the European Union. Russia says such sanctions would solve nothing and blamed Ukraine for the incident.
Ukraine's 2018 grain harvest had reached 68.2 million tonnes by Nov. 27, a record high. Exports are expected to reach an all-time high of 47 million tonnes in the 2018/19 July-June season.