Ukraine Restarts Grain Exports with New Shipment
2022-08-02
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1A ship loaded with grain left the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Monday.
2It was the first grain shipment to leave Ukraine since the war with Russia cut off exports.
3It is headed to the Middle Eastern nation of Lebanon.
4The ship, called the Razoni, has 26,000 tons of corn.
5Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain producers.
6But its ports have been closed for over five months because of the war with Russia.
7The lack of corn and other grains started a worldwide food crisis.
8Many nations that do not produce enough depend on important supplies of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil from Ukraine.
9Food shipments restarted after Ukraine and Russia signed agreements with Turkey and the United Nations on July 22.
10The goal is that 22 million tons of food staples will start to leave Ukrainian ports.
11Russia will also be permitted to export grain and fertilizer.
12Ukraine's minister of infrastructure, Oleksander Kubrakov, announced the ship's movement on the social media service Twitter.
13He said: "The first ship since Russian aggression has left port."
14He said starting shipments is "another step to prevent world hunger."
15In Moscow, Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the ship's movement "very positive."
16Russia in the past has denied that its invasion of Ukraine is the main reason for a world food problem.
17Russia has blamed international restrictions on its economy for shortages.
18The ship must pass through the Black Sea and stop in Istanbul for an inspection on Tuesday.
19Teams made up of inspectors from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations will look at the ship before it moves on toward the Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon.
20Turkey's defense minister is Hulusi Akar.
21Without the grain, Akar said, the food crisis could start a migration wave from Africa to Turkey and Europe.
22The Razoni is going to the port city of Beirut, where an explosion in 2020 destroyed many buildings, including grain storage structures.
23Traditionally, Lebanon brings in wheat and corn from Ukraine.
24Ukraine said 16 other ships are preparing to leave ports on the Black Sea.
25Reports say there are 600,000 tons of products ready to be shipped.
26But ships in some areas of the Black Sea are threatened by underwater mines.
27Other shipping companies are concerned about being hit by Russian rockets.
28Both U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Kubrakov praised the restart of shipping.
29Kubrakov said the shipments will bring in $1 billion to Ukraine's economy.
30Guterres said they will bring "stability."
31Olena Vitalievna lives in Odesa.
32She heard the Razoni sound its horn as it left the port.
33"Finally life begins to move forward," she said.
34She said she wants to see the city "bustle" or have a lot of activity, again.
35One person who works on the ship is Abdullah Jendi of Syria.
36He said he is happy to be moving again after a long and worrisome stay in Ukraine during the war.
37He said he had "great fear" that the ship could be targeted in an attack.
38Although boats are starting to move again and some people are feeling good, the war continues in Ukraine.
39Both Russia and Ukraine continued fighting in the southern and eastern parts of the country over the weekend.
40The governor of Donetsk called for people to leave the area, expressing concern over 52,000 children.
41The cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv also faced attacks.
42Experts said a Russian rocket hit Odesa shortly after the shipping agreement.
43So, the movements of grain might not last if there is another attack.
44Volodymyr Sidenko is a researcher for the Razumkov Center in Kyiv.
45He said the first ship leaving does not solve the food problem.
46"It's just the first step," he said. He warned "it could also be the last" if attacks continue in southern Ukraine.
47I'm Dan Friedell
1A ship loaded with grain left the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Monday. It was the first grain shipment to leave Ukraine since the war with Russia cut off exports. It is headed to the Middle Eastern nation of Lebanon. 2The ship, called the Razoni, has 26,000 tons of corn. 3Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain producers. But its ports have been closed for over five months because of the war with Russia. 4The lack of corn and other grains started a worldwide food crisis. Many nations that do not produce enough depend on important supplies of wheat, barley, corn and sunflower oil from Ukraine. 5Food shipments restarted after Ukraine and Russia signed agreements with Turkey and the United Nations on July 22. The goal is that 22 million tons of food staples will start to leave Ukrainian ports. Russia will also be permitted to export grain and fertilizer. 6Ukraine's minister of infrastructure, Oleksander Kubrakov, announced the ship's movement on the social media service Twitter. He said: "The first ship since Russian aggression has left port." He said starting shipments is "another step to prevent world hunger." 7In Moscow, Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called the ship's movement "very positive." Russia in the past has denied that its invasion of Ukraine is the main reason for a world food problem. Russia has blamed international restrictions on its economy for shortages. 8The ship must pass through the Black Sea and stop in Istanbul for an inspection on Tuesday. Teams made up of inspectors from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations will look at the ship before it moves on toward the Mediterranean Sea and Lebanon. 9Turkey's defense minister is Hulusi Akar. Without the grain, Akar said, the food crisis could start a migration wave from Africa to Turkey and Europe. 10The Razoni is going to the port city of Beirut, where an explosion in 2020 destroyed many buildings, including grain storage structures. Traditionally, Lebanon brings in wheat and corn from Ukraine. 11Ukraine said 16 other ships are preparing to leave ports on the Black Sea. Reports say there are 600,000 tons of products ready to be shipped. But ships in some areas of the Black Sea are threatened by underwater mines. Other shipping companies are concerned about being hit by Russian rockets. 12Both U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Kubrakov praised the restart of shipping. Kubrakov said the shipments will bring in $1 billion to Ukraine's economy. Guterres said they will bring "stability." 13Olena Vitalievna lives in Odesa. She heard the Razoni sound its horn as it left the port. 14"Finally life begins to move forward," she said. She said she wants to see the city "bustle" or have a lot of activity, again. 15One person who works on the ship is Abdullah Jendi of Syria. He said he is happy to be moving again after a long and worrisome stay in Ukraine during the war. He said he had "great fear" that the ship could be targeted in an attack. 16Although boats are starting to move again and some people are feeling good, the war continues in Ukraine. 17Both Russia and Ukraine continued fighting in the southern and eastern parts of the country over the weekend. The governor of Donetsk called for people to leave the area, expressing concern over 52,000 children. The cities of Kharkiv and Mykolaiv also faced attacks. 18Experts said a Russian rocket hit Odesa shortly after the shipping agreement. So, the movements of grain might not last if there is another attack. 19Volodymyr Sidenko is a researcher for the Razumkov Center in Kyiv. He said the first ship leaving does not solve the food problem. "It's just the first step," he said. He warned "it could also be the last" if attacks continue in southern Ukraine. 20I'm Dan Friedell 21Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reports by the Associated Press and Reuters. 22________________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24staple -n. an important food that is eaten very often 25fertilizer -n. chemicals added to soil to improve plant or crop growth 26stability -adj. a state in which things do not change too quickly 27horn -n. a device that makes a loud sound as a warning 28positive -adj. good, acceptable 29______________________________________________________________________ 30Do you think grain ships will continue leaving Odesa? We want to hear from you. 31We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 32Write your comment in the box. 33Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 34Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 35Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.