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UKRAINE

Ukrainian grain reaches Spain by rail

Rail wagons loaded with grain from Ukraine have arrived in Spain, the government said Saturday, part of a pilot project to explore the viability of using trains while war blocks maritime routes.

a goods train carrying grain in central france
A goods train carrying grain is pictured in central France. The first rail wagons carrying grain from Ukraine arrived in Spain on Thursday. Photo: JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP

Ukraine is a global major grain grower and exporter and almost all exports have traditionally been shipped from its Black Sea ports.

But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February has severely disrupted Ukrainian grain exports, sending food prices soaring.

As part of a pilot project to explore the viability of importing grain from Ukraine by rail, a freight train of Spanish state-owned operator Renfe left Madrid on August 9 for the Polish town of Chelm near the Ukrainian border.

The train consisting of 25 containers each measuring 40 foot (12 metres) was loaded with 600 tonnes of Ukrainian grain for the 2,400-kilometre (1,500-mile) return trip to Barcelona.

It arrived in the Catalan capital on Thursday night after stops in Lodz, central Poland and Duisburg, western Germany, Spain’s transport ministry said in a statement.

“The project allows us to analyse the technical and economic feasibility of grain rail transport as a complement to the maritime mode at a time marked by the war in Ukraine,” it added.

“The initiative has shown that, in the current context, long-distance rail transport requires a great effort of coordination between the different actors that participate in the process.”

The containers were fitted with special lining to carry grain, the ministry said.

On July 22, Russia and Ukraine signed a UN-backed deal brokered by Turkey to lift Moscow’s naval blockade and release millions of tonnes of blocked grain, thereby helping avert a global food crisis.

Dozens of ships loaded with agricultural food products have left Ukrainian Black Sea ports since then.

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UKRAINE

‘Very high’: Spain’s govt split over €1 billion in Ukraine military aid

A split in Spain's coalition government over Madrid's pledge to provide €1 billion in military aid to Ukraine broke out on Tuesday after a far-left cabinet minister described the amount as "very high".

'Very high': Spain's govt split over €1 billion in Ukraine military aid

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signed a security deal with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday in Madrid which includes a commitment to provide military support to Kyiv worth €1 billion this year.

The Spanish prime minister said this would allow “Ukraine to boost its capabilities including its essential air defence systems to protect its civilians, cities and infrastructure”.

But Labour Minister Yolanda Díaz – the leader of far-left party Sumar, the junior partners in Sanchez’s coalition government – criticised the amount.

“These are very high sums,” she told Spanish public television TVE, accusing Sánchez’s Socialist party of a “lack of transparency”.

“We learned yesterday from the press that this billion euros was intended for arms for Ukraine,” added Díaz, one of three deputy prime ministers.

“Defence policy is very important for the country, and the people have a right to a public debate.”

The aid package was approved by Spain’s parliament but without specifying who the recipient would be, according to Spanish press reports.

Sánchez’s Socialists and Sumar have clashed frequently over foreign policy since they formed their coalition government in 2020, with the far left party highly critical of arms shipments to Ukraine.

According to the Kiel Institute — which tracks weapons pledged and delivered to Ukraine since the Russian invasion — Spain has so far committed €330 million in military aid, making it a small contributor on a European level.

By comparison, Berlin, Paris and Rome have committed €18.61 billion, €5.65 billion and €1.0 billion respectively, while London’s contribution stands at 9.22 billion, the figures show.

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