Moscow Denies Accusations Of Delaying Ship Inspections Under Grain Deal

 Russia denies the allegations of intentionally protracting inspections of ships under the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday, adding that Ukraine compiled lists for inspections and passage.

"We cannot confirm the information from the UN press release about more than 100 ships involved in the initiative and staying in Turkiye's territorial waters and about the average waiting time of 21 days. At present, there are 64 vessels in Ukrainian ports and inspection zones. Ukrainian representatives compile lists for their inspections and passage.

Russian representatives have nothing to do with this," the ministry said in a statement.

On January 18, the United Nations published an update on the Black Sea grain initiative, saying that there were "more than 100 vessels in Turkish territorial waters connected to the Initiative, 32 are waiting for inspection, while the rest have applied to participate in the Initiative." The UN also urged all parties to "work to remove obstacles for the reduction of the backlog and improve operational efficiencies" within the Joint Coordination Center.