No grain ships from Ukraine ports will reach Africa: NYT

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Coming from Ukrainian ports, the Turkish-flagged Polarnet docked in the Turkish city of Derince on Monday with 12,000 tons of maize.

Following its arrival, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that it "sends a message of hope to every family in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia."

"Ukraine won’t abandon you," he claimed.

Similarly, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Monday Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi that Ukraine was "ready to continue being the guarantor of world food security."

However, the New York Times reported Tuesday that none of the grain ships that have departed from Ukrainian ports as of Tuesday will reach African countries most at risk of starvation.

On July 22, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed a grain deal mediated by the United Nations in Istanbul.

The agreement includes the Ukrainian ports overlooking the Black Sea in Odessa and two neighboring sites.

Since the deal took effect on the 1st of August, 10 ships have left Ukrainian ports. One ship is headed to England, another to Ireland, while several are on their way to Turkey, Italy and China.

According to the New York Times, none of the ships are headed to Yemen, Somalia, or other countries facing "catastrophic levels of hunger."

The Associated Press also quoted experts as saying that most of the 20 million tons of grain in Ukrainian ports is animal feed and was not for human consumption.

Kiev had claimed that Russia was "blockading" its ports, while Moscow pointed out that the Ukrainian forces had mined the sea lanes.

Read more: 'Too early' to celebrate grain shipment: Zelensky