War in Ukraine: the grain agreement is “de facto over”, announces Russia

2023-07-17 13:24:03

The agreement on the export of Ukrainian cereals which expires at midnight is “de facto finished”, announced Monday the Kremlin, which assures that Russia will return to it “immediately” when its conditions are met. Russia had been threatening for weeks not to extend the deal because of alleged impediments to its own shipments of agricultural products and fertilizers.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, the Kremlin notified Ukraine, Turkey and the UN of the Russian decision. Germany immediately reacted by calling on Russia “to make it possible to extend the agreement” on cereals so as “not to make the poorest of the planet bear the consequences of this conflict”. “Furthermore, we hope that in the future, this grain agreement will not only be fixed-term or for a short period, but that grain and fertilizer can be exported from Ukraine for the long term. added a spokeswoman.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for his part said he was convinced on Monday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wanted to “continue the agreement” on Ukrainian cereals. “I think that despite today’s statement, my friend Vladimir Putin wants to continue with the deal.”

Not “linked” to the attack on the Crimean Bridge

Signed in July 2022 in Istanbul and renewed twice, this agreement allows Ukraine to export its cereals through the Black Sea, where Russian boats patrol. Nearly 33 million tonnes of grain were thus able to leave Ukrainian ports despite the intense armed conflict between kyiv and Moscow. Another purpose of the agreement was the delivery of cereals to poor countries, particularly in Africa or the Middle East. According to Moscow, this goal has not been achieved.

The move comes just hours after an attack hit the bridge connecting Russia with Crimea, killing two civilians. But according to the Kremlin spokesman, the explosion and the non-renewal of the agreement are not “related”. “Even before this attack, that was President Putin’s position,” he said.