Russian Foreign Ministry: Turkey, Ukraine and the UN did not object to the extension of the grain deal for only 60 days

Representatives of Turkey, Ukraine, as well as the UN did not object to the prolongation of the grain deal for 60 days instead of 120, indicated in the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the message is published on the official website of the department). Further extension of the agreement depends on the fulfillment by the parties of a number of conditions.

The Foreign Ministry said that the decision to reduce the period of the next prolongation of the deal to 60 days (that is, until May 18) was made due to “the lack of progress in the implementation of the Russia-UN memorandum on the normalization of domestic agricultural exports.” The participants in the grain deal did not put forward any formal objections to the actions of the Russian diplomats.

“A further decision to extend the initiative will depend on progress in the implementation of the following conditions in the context of the implementation of the Russia-UN Memorandum: reconnecting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, resuming supplies of agricultural equipment, spare parts and services, lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance, plus lifting the ban on access to ports , the restoration of the operation of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, the unblocking of foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies related to the production and transportation of food and fertilizers, ”the Ministry of Foreign Affairs listed.

If there is no progress in meeting these requirements, the Russian Federation will suspend participation in the Black Sea Initiative. Until now, the Foreign Ministry pointed out, only the “Ukrainian part” of the agreements has been implemented. Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers remain blocked, the ministry noted.

The parties to the grain deal still disagree on the timing of its extension. In Kyiv, they report that the activity of the agreement should (and will) be 120 days after the prolongation. Russia initially insisted that it would only extend the deal for 60 days. The UN and Ankara did not specify the terms.

For more information about what is known about the conditions for extending the Black Sea initiative, see the material “Kommersant FM” “Grain deal is determined with terms.”

Grigory Leiba