Image: Freepik
The Kremlin said on Thursday that there remain "many questions" about the Black Sea grain deal and that there are currently no plans for negotiations between President Vladimir Putin and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July, aimed to avert a global food crisis by allowing grain blocked by the Russian invasion to be safely exported from three Ukrainian ports.
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The agreement was extended for 120 days in November and can be renewed again on March 18. However, this will not happen if Russia objects and Moscow has already signaled that it is dissatisfied with the way the deal is being implemented.
“There are still many questions about the final recipients, questions about where most of the grain is going. And, of course, questions about the second part of the agreements are well known to everyone,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Russia has previously complained that most of the Ukrainian grain exported under the deal goes to rich countries. The “second part” of the agreement refers to a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations that facilitates Russian exports of food and fertilizers.
Russia's agricultural exports have not been explicitly targeted by Western sanctions, but Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance are a "barrier" to the country being able to export its own grain and fertilizers.
Source: Caleb Davis | Notícias Agrícolas
