Skip to content
Edit post

Reuters: Russia threatens to back out of Black Sea Grain Initiative

by The Kyiv Independent news desk March 1, 2023 9:24 PM 2 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Become a member Support us just once

Russia has threatened not to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative if certain conditions are not met, reported Reuters on March 1.

The deal, which was signed by Ukraine and Russia and mediated by the United Nations and Turkey, is set to expire on March 18. It must be renewed unanimously by all parties involved. According to Reuters, Russia views sanctions on its payments, logistics, and insurance industries as an inhibitor to its grain and fertilizer exports.

“(The) Russian side stressed that continuing the package agreement on grain is possible only if the interests of Russian agricultural and fertilizer producers in terms of unhindered access to world markets are taken into account,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement cited by Reuters.

This is not the first time Russia has threatened to withdraw from the grain agreement. In October 2022, Russia's UN ambassador told Reuters that Moscow may not support renewing the UN-backed grain deal unless its concerns about ensuring Russian grain and fertilizer exports were addressed.

However, the U.S. and Europe did not target Russian grain and fertilizer exports by sanctions imposed after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The deal was signed in Istanbul in July 2022 to ease a worldwide food shortage resulting from Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports. More than 300 ships have departed from Ukrainian Black Sea ports carrying 6.9 million metric tons of grain to destinations in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

However, Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of attempting to sabotage the grain corridor.

The agreement mandates that vessels departing from or arriving at Ukrainian ports must undergo inspection by observers from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations while passing through the Bosphorus Strait.

A statement from Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov on Feb. 15 noted that more than 140 vessels were waiting for inspections, with some waiting for over a month.

The renewal of the deal is critical as Ukraine is among the world's top grain exporters.

Agriculture Minister: Russia's grain corridor sabotage could lead to higher food prices
Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.
Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.
visa masterCard americanExpress

News Feed

11:16 AM

Kuleba begins first trip to India.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he was in the Indian capital New Delhi at the invitation of Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and that the two would "pay specific attention to the peace formula" in their talks.
Ukraine Daily
News from Ukraine in your inbox
Ukraine news
Please, enter correct email address
5:30 AM

Ukrainian POWs faced conditional release from Hungary.

Two Ukrainian prisoners of war, part of a group of 11 handed over to Hungary by Russia in June 2023, said in an interview to Deutsche Welle, that Hungarian representatives imposed conditions preventing their return to Ukraine until the war's end.
3:16 AM

Estonian police arrest citizen who reported for Russian state media.

Estonian police have arrested Svetlana Burceva, an Estonian citizen, for allegedly violating international sanctions having served as a reporter for Russian state sponsored Balt News - an arm of the Kremlin-run Russia Today (RT) news outlet, Estonian publication Eesti Ekspress reported on March 27.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.