Moscow wants to extend grain deal for just 60 days, kyiv criticizes terms
Cargo ships carrying cereals await their inspection under the agreement reached under the aegis of the UN and Turkey, between Russia and Ukraine, here on the Bosphorus, in Istanbul, December 11, 2022. © Yoruk Isik /Reuters
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4 mins
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.
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Verchinin said after talks in Geneva with UN officials that Moscow "does not
oppose a further extension of the
'
Black Sea Initiative
'
after the 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, the
“thaw”
of financial activities and the supply of ammonia through the
“Togliatti-Odessa” pipeline,” the Russian official said.
kyiv would like more
But kyiv criticized this new condition.
" The
'Black Sea Grain Initiative'
agreement
involves 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
," he said. tweeted the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandre Kubrakov, specifying that Kiev was awaiting “
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 @UN & 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 remains fully involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and to strive to facilitate the export of Russian fertilizers and foodstuffs
".
► To read also: For the Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture, the cereals agreement must be extended "by at least one year"
Shortly after, the UN said in a statement dated from Geneva (Switzerland) that it "
takes note
" of the Russian proposal and underlined that the UN chief "
confirmed that the United Nations would do everything possible to preserve integrity of the Grain Initiative
[...]
and ensuring its continuity
".
In Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Verchinin said he had "
frank and in-depth
" discussions with the head of UN humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths and the secretary general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), Rebeca Grynspan.
These talks, he said, served to “
confirm once again that while commercial exports of Ukrainian products are happening 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 "
Black Sea
" agreement
, signed in July 2022
for 120 days between the United Nations, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey, had the consequence of alleviating the world food crisis caused by the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. It was
renewed in November for four months
and allowed the export of more than 24 million tonnes of cereals 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 about other fertilizer sanctions, with '
inactive
' exemptions
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.
"
The sanctions exemptions for foodstuffs and fertilizers announced by Washington, Brussels and London are essentially inactive
," Sergei Verchinin reaffirmed on Monday.
►Also read: The crisis in Ukraine benefits French cereals
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