The agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain was recently extended by 60 days – now Russia is once again threatening to end it. As a condition for a longer-term continuation, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Monday once again named easing of Russian fertilizer exports and the resumption of technology and spare parts deliveries in the agricultural sector. “Without progress in meeting these requirements (…) our participation in the Black Sea Initiative will be suspended,” it said.
According to the UN, 25 million tons of grain have been exported to 45 countries since the agreement began in July 2022. The agreement has therefore helped to stabilize markets and lower food prices. The agreement was extended by at least two months last weekend.
Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin also spoke explicitly of the fact that the initiative could now burst again. In that case, Russia will export grain to African countries for free, he said at a virtual Russia-Africa conference. Putin, who himself ordered the war against Ukraine more than a year ago, keeps trying to give the impression that he is primarily concerned with the well-being of poorer countries that are said to have benefited too little from the grain agreement.