Moscow is opposed
Kremlin: Grain agreement has been stopped for the time being
07/17/2023 11:07 am
Thanks to an agreement, Ukraine has been able to export 33 million tons of grain in recent months. But now Moscow does not want to extend the deal. The Kremlin does not want to return to the negotiating table until the West drops certain sanctions.
Russia has blocked the agreement to ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. Once all Russian demands for the export of its own grain are met, Moscow will return to fulfilling the agreement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. After several extensions, the agreement with Russia and Ukraine was officially valid until late Monday evening.
The agreement has been in effect since July 22, 2022. Thanks to the agreement, Ukraine – one of the world’s most important grain exporters before the war – was able to ship 33 million tons in the past twelve months.
During a phone call over the weekend, Putin also pointed out to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa that there was no basis for extending the agreement. During the talks initiated by Ramaphosa, Putin also said that the main goal of the agreement, to supply needy countries on the African continent, for example, had not been implemented, the Kremlin said.
In particular, Moscow complains that punitive measures against the Russian state agricultural bank mean that the export of its own grain and fertilizer cannot be processed on the desired scale. There are also problems with insuring the freight.