EU's Kallas calls for Black Sea attacks moratorium to restore Ukraine grain exports
EU High Representative Kaja Kallas called for a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea region to restore Ukraine's maritime grain exports, speaking at a UN General Assembly thematic event on the Black Sea and global food security. She said Ukraine's maritime grain exports have effectively stopped since August due to escalated Russian attacks, and that nearly 90% of Ukrainian agricultural exports move via the Black Sea corridor. Turkey has reportedly transmitted proposals to Ukraine and Russia aimed at halting hostilities in the Black Sea.
Key points
- EU High Representative Kaja Kallas called for a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea to restore grain exports.
- She spoke at the opening of a UN General Assembly thematic event on the Black Sea and global food security, organized under the EU's chairmanship.
- Ukraine accounts for about 15% of world corn exports, 10% of wheat, 15–20% of barley, and roughly 50% of sunflower oil, according to Kallas.
- Nearly 90% of Ukraine's agricultural exports are transported via the Black Sea corridor, Kallas said.
- Ukraine's maritime grain exports have effectively stopped since August due to escalated Russian attacks, according to Kallas.
- Turkey has transmitted to Ukraine and Russia proposals aimed at ceasing hostilities and attacks in the Black Sea.
Why it matters
Kallas's call reframes the Black Sea conflict as a global food-security problem and pushes to rebuild an arrangement analogous to the 2022–2023 Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is credited with curbing the global food crisis. By tying any restoration of exports directly to a halt in Russian attacks, she places responsibility on Moscow, while the reported Turkish mediation effort suggests active diplomatic movement on a narrower Black Sea track.
What happened
Speaking at the opening of a UN General Assembly thematic event on the Black Sea and global food security, organized under the EU's chairmanship, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas proposed a moratorium on attacks in the Black Sea region to restore Ukraine's maritime grain exports. Citing figures from her own presentation, Kallas said Ukraine provides about 15% of world corn exports, 10% of wheat, 15–20% of barley, and around 50% of sunflower oil, with nearly 90% of these agricultural exports moving through the Black Sea corridor. She stated that Ukraine's maritime grain exports have effectively stopped since August because escalated Russian attacks have made commercial shipping impossible. Kallas said that if Russia stopped attacks in the Black Sea, farmers, traders, and world markets would regain the predictability they need, and that food should never be used as a weapon of war. She also said Ukraine has consistently shown readiness for a diplomatic settlement, including through ceasefire initiatives and Ukrainian participation in diplomatic events on the sidelines of the UN. Separately, Turkey has transmitted to Ukraine and Russia proposals aimed at ceasing hostilities and attacks in the Black Sea.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
The two supplied Ukrainian sources frame Kallas's call as a moral and economic appeal: Ukrainian grain 'feeds people around the world', and the demand is for Russia to stop attacks on Ukrainian grain shipments in the Black Sea. Both stress that lifting the blockade is a humanitarian and food-security imperative that rests on Moscow halting strikes.
Background
The 2022–2023 Black Sea Grain Initiative is credited with curbing the global food crisis. Since May 2022, the EU's Solidarity Lanes initiative has facilitated trade of roughly €304 billion, and the EU mobilized €2.1 billion in 2025 to support global food security.