The pact for the export of Russian and Ukrainian seeds and grains expires today, with some prospects for renewal, although Russia, through the head of diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov, has stated that the agreement “is dead.”
However, last Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan assured that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agreed with the extension of the Black Sea grain agreement, which allows Ukraine to export production, but did not give details. .
The current extension of the agreement, signed in the summer of 2022 in Istanbul by Ukraine and Russia under the mediation of the UN and Turkey, ends today and, in addition to Ukrainian cereals, the document also covers the export of Russian fertilizers and food products. . .
Although it has not been scathing in this regard, Russia has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to expand the so-called Black Sea Grains Initiative, arguing that, on the one hand, it has become a commercial and non-humanitarian pact and, on the other hand, , the Russian memorandum remains unfulfilled.
Moscow has challenged restrictions on its exports of fertilizers and food products, alleging that its agricultural sector is hurt by sanctions imposed by the West after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In the countdown to trying a new renewal of the agreement, the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, sent a letter to Putin last week with a proposal to facilitate Russian exports of food and Ukrainian fertilizers and grains.
“I hope that with this letter we will ensure the extension of the grain deal, with our joint efforts and Russia’s efforts,” Erdogan said, referring to Guterres’s letter.
Putin has yet to announce a decision, merely indicating publicly that Moscow is reviewing the situation.
Aiming to convince Russian leaders, Guterres intends to remove obstacles to Russian fertilizer exports, another segment of the July 2022 deal that Moscow says has not been respected, “removing obstacles to financial transactions of the Agricultural Bank of Russia”.
According to United Nations data, since the entry into force of the agreement, about 33 million tons of cereals have been shipped from the ports of southern Ukraine.
Source: TSF
