India moves to mediate Black Sea food corridor amid grain crisis

India has offered to mediate a “food corridor” across the Black Sea, a move announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after a phone call with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, Al Jazeera reported.

What is the proposed corridor and why does India want to lead it?

India says it can help create a safe passage for grain and oilseed shipments that have been disrupted by the war, and it views the initiative as a way to secure its own supply of sunflower oil. Al Jazeera noted that India is the world’s largest importer of vegetable oils and that its edible‑oil imports fell 7 percent in September, with sunflower oil deliveries dropping to 108,837 tonnes – the lowest level since April 2022.

How have recent attacks impacted grain exports?

Both Russia and Ukraine have struck each other’s ports this year, choking off grain and oilseed flows that feed import‑dependent countries in Africa and South Asia, Al Jazeera said. The conflict has shut down more than 97 percent of export capacity in the Azov and Black Sea basin, according to Reuters data cited by Al Jazeera, and has forced Ukraine to cut its 2026‑27 export forecast to about 29.6 million tonnes.

What obstacles and doubts surround India’s mediation?

Shipping security, insurance coverage and Russia’s cooperation remain major hurdles, Al Jazeera reported. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs said on Nov 3 that five Indian nationals were killed and two were missing after attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea. Kyiv has welcomed India’s “broadest” cease‑fire proposal – which covers both the Black Sea and energy infrastructure – but remains wary of New Delhi’s neutrality, given India’s continued purchases of Russian oil, Al Jazeera added.