In a response to the UN on Tuesday, Russia defended that it is currently “impossible” to resume the agreements that allowed the export of Ukrainian grains through the Black Sea, and stressed that commitments with Russia had not been fulfilled.
“Unfortunately, at this time it is impossible to resume this agreement, as it has not been fulfilled,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during the usual daily telephone press conference.
Peskov added that UN Secretary-General António Guterres again presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin “some sort of action plan and a promise that the Russian part” of the agreements will be fulfilled one day.
“President Putin has clearly said that Russia is ready to resume the agreement as soon as possible [os compromissos com o lado russo] are fulfilled,” emphasized Peskov.
On Monday, the UN Secretary-General urged Russia to return to the agreement on grain exports through the Black Sea, arguing that the protocol is “fundamental to ensure stability in supply and prices”.
“I ask the Russian Federation to resume the application of the Black Sea Agreements and I urge the international community to remain united in this effort to find effective solutions,” Guterres said at the opening in Rome of the UN Summit on Food Systems, a meeting co-hosted by the Italian government.
The Italian capital, home to several UN agencies focused on the food sector (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development – IFAD and World Food Program – WFP), is hosting this week’s meeting to take stock of the agreements reached two years ago in New York at a conference on food systems.
Last Wednesday, Putin assured that Russia is ready to return to the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grains, which it had suspended on July 17, as its shipments of agricultural products and fertilizers are blocked by Western sanctions, if its demands are “fully” met, and without which the extension of the pact “no longer makes sense”.
Russia’s demands include reintegrating its agricultural bank, Rosselkhozbank, into SWIFT’s international banking system, lifting sanctions on agricultural machinery spare parts, unblocking transportation logistics and insurance, and unblocking assets.
Russian authorities also plan to reopen the Togliatti-Odessa oil pipeline, intended for the export of ammonia, a key component for Russian fertilizers. This structure, which had been out of use since the beginning of Ukraine’s ongoing conflict, was damaged by an explosion on June 5, an action that Moscow blamed on Kiev.
The agreements, signed in the summer of 2022 in Istanbul by Ukraine and Russia, brokered by the UN and Turkey, cover Ukrainian grains and the export of Russian fertilizers and food products.
According to United Nations data, nearly 33 million tons of grain have been shipped from the ports of southern Ukraine since the agreement came into force.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24 last year, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Source: DN
