The fate of the Ukrainian grain deal, which expires on Monday July 17, remains uncertain. While international discussions are increasing for Moscow to sign the renewal of the text which, over the past year, has allowed nearly 33 million tonnes of cereals to leave Ukrainian ports despite the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to send negative signs.
During a phone call with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, Mr Putin “ stressed that the obligations set out in the Russia-United Nations memorandum [ONU] on the removal of obstacles for the export of Russian food products and fertilizers are still not fulfilled”the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday.
“The main objective of the agreement, the delivery of cereals to countries in need, particularly on the African continent, is not achieved”, continues the Russian presidency, which reports this conversation between MM. Putin and Ramaphosa.
For its part, the South African presidency confirmed this exchange on the issue, in the wake of a call between President Ramaphosa and the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.
“Not a single” Russian request taken into account, criticizes Moscow
The day before, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, mediator between kyiv and Moscow, assured that Mr. Putin was ” All right “ to extend this vital Ukrainian grain deal. But the Kremlin has denied making any statement about it. On Thursday, the Russian president had already deplored that “not one” of his country’s demands had not been taken into account during the negotiations carried out with a view to extending the agreement.
Signed in July 2022 in Istanbul (Turkey) and already renewed twice, the agreement expires Monday evening at midnight (11 p.m. Paris time). Ukraine’s production is considered essential to prevent soaring food prices on the world market, which could trigger a food crisis in the most vulnerable countries.
On July 4, the Kremlin had already announced that it would not see ” no reason “ to extend this agreement, complaining of obstacles to its own deliveries of agricultural products, in particular fertilizers, which serve many countries in the South, such as Brazil.
Mr. Guterres wishes, to convince him, to remove the obstacles to these exports, also planned for July 2022 by a parallel agreement, by “eliminating impediments to financial transactions of the Agricultural Bank of Russia”.
Several summits planned
On Saturday, the South African president also discussed with Mr. Putin the preparations for the Brics summit in South Africa at the end of August, where the Russian leader is invited despite an arrest warrant issued against him by the Criminal Court. internationally, according to the Kremlin.
The two heads of state also discussed on Saturday the Russia-Africa summit, scheduled for the end of July in Saint Petersburg, and the initiative for peace in Ukraine promoted by several African leaders, according to the Kremlin and Pretoria. . MM. Putin and Ramaphosa “have agreed” to have a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of this summit in Russia, specified the Russian presidency.
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On the conflict, as on the cereal question, “President Ramaphosa also had a telephone discussion with the Ukrainian president”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Thursday. He “will continue discussions with the two leaders and the UN Secretary General on these issues”insists the press release from Pretoria.