Russia on Monday (March 13) offered to extend the Ukrainian grain export deal, which expires on March 18, but for only 60 days and not 120 as has been the case so far. The offer was criticized by kyiv, which sees it as a questioning of the initial agreement, but did not formally reject it.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Verchinin said, after talks in Geneva with UN officials, that Moscow ” does not oppose a further extension of the” Black Sea Initiative » after his second term expires on March 18, but only for 60 days “.
” Our future position will be determined by tangible progress in normalizing our agricultural exports, not in words, but in deeds. This includes bank payments, transport logistics, insurance, “thaw” financial activities and the supply of ammonia via the pipeline ‘Togliatti-Odessa’,” the Russian official said.
kyiv would like more
But kyiv criticized this new condition. ” The agreement on “Black Sea Grain Initiative” implies at least 120 days of extension, Russia’s position to extend it by only 60 days therefore contradicts the document signed by Turkey and the UN “Tweeted Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, specifying that kyiv was waiting” the official position of the United Nations and Ankara, as ” guarantors of the initiative “.
#BlackSeaGrainInitiative agreement involves at least 120 d. of extension, therefore Russia’s position to extend the deal only for 60 d. contradicts the document signed by Turkey & the UN. We’re waiting for the official position of @A & Turkey as the guarantors of the initiative pic.twitter.com/TPhpaHUdhg
— Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) March 13, 2023
At UN headquarters in New York, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, assured that “ the United Nations remained fully involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and in efforts to facilitate Russian fertilizer and food exports “.
► To read also: For the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture, the cereals agreement must be extended “by at least one year”
Shortly after, the UN indicated in a press release dated from Geneva (Switzerland) that it ” take note of the Russian proposal and stressed that the head of the UN ” confirmed that the United Nations would do everything possible to preserve the integrity of the Grain Initiative […] and ensure its continuity “.
In Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Verchinin stressed that he had discussions “ frank and thorough with UN Humanitarian Affairs chief Martin Griffiths and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) secretary-general Rebeca Grynspan.
These talks, he said, helped “ confirm once again that while commercial exports of Ukrainian products are taking place at a steady pace and bringing considerable profits to Kyiv, the restrictions imposed on Russian agricultural exporters are still in place “.
China is the first destination country
This OK ” from the black sea », signed in July 2022 for 120 days between the United Nations, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, resulted in alleviating the global food crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It had been renewed in November for four months and enabled more than 24 million tonnes of grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports, according to the UN.
China is the top recipient of exports under the deal, followed by Spain and Turkey, which ranks third.
Ukraine called last week for international efforts to keep open the Black Sea shipping lanes used to transport its grain and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called at the G20 in early March for Moscow to renew the agreement.
Moscow complains of other sanctions on fertilizers, exemptions ” inactive »
But Russia is not satisfied with another agreement – bilateral – also signed in July 2022 with the UN on Russian fertilizer exports. It runs for three years.
Moscow complains that its exports of fertilizer, a basic necessity for world agriculture, are de facto blocked, although they do not fall under the sanctions imposed by Western countries since the start of the war.
” Sanctions exemptions for foodstuffs and fertilizers announced by Washington, Brussels and London are mostly inactive “, reaffirmed Sergei Verchinin on Monday.
►Also read: The crisis in Ukraine benefits French cereals