On the eve of negotiations with the UN, the Russian Federation once again declared the inefficiency of the grain corridor

The agreement on the grain corridor, which allowed Ukraine to export grain through Black Sea ports, expires on March 18, and through the mediation of the UN and Turkey, Ukraine is trying to continue its work, but this is being prevented by the Russian Federation.

The next round of consultations of the Russian delegation with UNCTAD Secretary of State Rebecca Greenspan and OCHA head Martin Griffiths (curator of the “Black Sea Initiative” and the UN-Russia memorandum) will be held in Geneva on March 13, but on the eve of the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed doubts about the feasibility of extending the agreement.

Kremlin press secretary Peskov said on March 9 that the agreement on the safe export of grain through the Black Sea ports of Ukraine was “half” implemented, so it should not be continued. The “second part” of the agreement concerns the memorandum of the UN and the Russian Federation, which simplifies the export of fertilizers and food from the Russian Federation. The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Lavrov said that the two parts of the agreement – safe exports from Ukraine and the removal of obstacles to exports from the Russian Federation – are “inextricably linked”, but the first part is implemented under the supervision of Turkey, and the second – not. “This is a package agreement, but it is half implemented, which makes the issue of extending the agreement quite difficult,” Lavrov said.

On March 13, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sakharova emphasized that Western sanctions still prevent the export of Russian agricultural products, and only the part of the agreement beneficial to Ukraine is effectively implemented. She also noted that “the proposal of the UN Secretary General was a package deal, which means that all agreements must be implemented together. Only in this way will the problem of the food crisis be solved and the necessary assistance provided to the countries of Africa, Asia and South America. But until now, only the Ukrainian part of the agreement is effectively implemented, while the export of products from the Russian Federation continues to be blocked by Western sanctions.”

World markets react sensitively to the news about the restoration or blocking of the grain corridor, so they await the outcome of the negotiations in Geneva and hope that the UN will convince the Russian Federation to continue the agreement.

Tags: Russia