Russia rejected the new United Nations proposal to reactivate the grain export agreement and maintained the original demands, the Kremlin announced today.
The decision comes after the United Nations proposed reconnecting a branch of the Russian Agricultural Bank in Luxembourg to the international banking system SWIFT, instead of its parent bank, the Russian executive said.
“The president made it clear that the conditions are known. Now it is said that the Westerners are ready to promise the opening of SWIFT to a branch of Rosselkhozbank. The fact is that the agreements state that SWIFT should be opened to Rosselkhozbank and not to the department,” presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized.
And he continued: ‘Of course we are talking about the need to return to the foundations of the agreements that existed initially […]”.
Peskov recalled that once the conditions are met for Russia to export its grains and fertilizers unhindered, the country’s participation in the grain agreement will resume, in which Ukraine exports its grains through the Black Sea..
“Given that many promises have already been made, we believe that we have the right and obligation to first wait for them to be fulfilled and then resume this agreement,” from which Russia withdrew last July, he said.
Source: DN
