UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on December 28 named a retired Kuwaiti vice admiral as coordinator for the Black Sea Grain Initiative to manage grain shipments from war-torn Ukraine. Abdullah Abdul Samad Dashti will help coordinate the 5-month-old operation by Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, and the United Nations to ensure shipments of grains, oilseeds, fertilizers, and other farm products can get safely to markets. Exports from Ukraine -- a critical supplier of grains, oilseeds, and vegetable oils to global markets -- were cut off by a Russian naval embargo after Moscow's forces invaded the country in February.
Editors' Picks
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
