VOA新闻杂志2023--Russia Halts Grain Deal after Bridge to Crimea Struck

Russia Halts Grain Deal after Bridge to Crimea Struck

Russia halted on Monday the U.N. negotiated deal which lets Ukraine export grain through the Black Sea. Russia ended the deal just hours after Ukraine struck Russia's bridge to Crimea.

Russia said two civilians¹ were killed and their child wounded in what Moscow called a terrorist attack on the road bridge. The bridge carries supplies for Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.

Russia said there was no connection between the attack and its decision to suspend the grain deal. The Kremlin said there was a failure to meet its demands to put in place a separate agreement easing rules for its own food and fertilizer exports.

Russia's foreign ministry² said it would consider rejoining the grain deal if it saw results on its demands.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants to continue grain exports without Russia's safety guarantees.

"Even without the Russian Federation³, everything must be done so that we can use this Black Sea corridor. We are not afraid," a spokesman for Zelenskyy said.

The explosion on the road bridge to Crimea could seriously affect Russia's ability to supply its troops in southern Ukraine.

Images showed part of the road bridge had collapsed⁴ and traffic was halted in both directions. A parallel railway bridge is still in use. Blasts were reported before sunrise on the 19-kilometer bridge, which Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to be built after Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Ukraine has long said that the bridge was built illegally, and its use by Russia for military supplies makes it a target. It was last hit by a large explosion and fire in October.

Any delays in exports resulting from Russia's suspension of the Black Sea grain deal could increase food prices across the world. That could affect poor countries the most. Ukraine and Russia are both major suppliers of grain to developing nations.

The grain deal was praised as preventing a global food emergency when it was negotiated by the United Nations and Turkey last year. The deal halted a blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia.

The suspension of the deal on Monday led to an increase in wheat prices of about three percent in trading, to $6.81 a bushel, in Chicago. The price fell later in the day.

Experts do not expect more than a temporary increase in global food commodity prices. Finding suppliers outside Ukraine that are farther away could also raise costs.

The grain deal guaranteed that ships would not be attacked entering and leaving Ukrainian ports. A separate agreement permitted the movement of Russian food and fertilizer. Western sanctions do not apply to Russia's agricultural shipments. But some companies might be unwilling⁵ to do business with Russia.

Now it is important to watch if Russia "weaponizes" its wheat exports, said Simon Evenett. He is professor of international trade and economic development at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Being the world's largest wheat supplier, Russia could increase its export taxes. That "would raise world grain prices as well as allow Russia to finance more of its military campaign in Ukraine," Evenett said. He noted⁶ that Moscow already raised taxes this month.

The grain deal has faced problems since it was first put in place. Russia pulled out briefly⁷ in November before rejoining and extending the deal.

In March and May, Russia would only renew the deal for 60 days, instead of 120. The amount of grain shipped per month fell from a high of 4.2 million metric tons in October to over 2 million metric tons in June. Inspections⁸ meant to ensure boats only carry grain and not weapons also have greatly slowed.

Words in This Story

fertilizer — n. chemicals that improve the growth of crops

corridor — n. a long, narrow piece of land

parallel — adj. running next to something but never crossing it

bushel — n. a unit for measuring grain

commodity — n. a basic product that is widely traded in financial markets

sanctions — n. (pl.) punishments placed on a country to force it to observe international rules

allow — v. to let something to happen

1 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

2 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

3 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

4 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

5 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。

8 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》