Russia opposes the indefinite extension or expansion of the grain deal. This was stated by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin following the talks held in Istanbul on the Black Sea Initiative.

"We are against what is spoken out in many Western capitals, against it (the deal. - RT) expansion or indefinite extension. We must understand what is being done, including by us and the parties to these agreements," he said.

According to the diplomat, if Russia does not receive guarantees, including on the export of ammonia, the agreement will cease to exist.

"Because an initiative that benefits only one of the parties can hardly be recognized and confirmed by everyone. Naturally, first of all, we protect the national interests of Russia, its agricultural producers and fertiliser producers. We also do this taking into account the general situation on the world market - it is quite volatile, "Vershinin said.

The Deputy Foreign Minister said that Russia will not put up with double standards, when in words European leaders talk about the absence of obstacles to the export of agricultural products and fertilizers from Russia, but in fact the green light is given only to the export of Ukrainian grain.

"Russia expects active work from UN representatives and the implementation of statements from Western capitals. Ultimately, there should be no hypocrisy, there should be no green light for the supply of only Ukrainian grain and agricultural products under loud stories about the need to ensure food security, and Russia's interests are completely pushed into the background. We cannot tolerate double standards," he stressed.

At the same time, Sergey Vershinin did not make a prediction about whether the deal would be extended after May 18.

  • Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Vershinin
  • RIA Novosti
  • © Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. As you know, at one time it was decided to extend the Black Sea Initiative for 60 days, until May 18. There is still some time left. Naturally, we are very closely following what is being done to correct the distortions and flaws of this initiative," the diplomat explained.

He added that the decision on a new meeting on the grain deal at the level of deputy ministers following the talks held in Istanbul was not made.

"We are facing serious barriers"

Recall that on May 10 and 11 in Istanbul, representatives of the Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN discussed the implementation of the grain deal. According to the UN following the talks, the parties, in particular, considered the recent proposals of the World Organization regarding the resumption of the operation of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, and also exchanged views on the extension of the agreement.

According to Vershinin, the quadrilateral talks were useful.

"In my opinion, today's and yesterday's discussions were useful in terms of dotting the i's in terms of the implementation of the Istanbul agreements," he said.

At the same time, the diplomat stressed that "the statements that have been and are heard from Washington, Brussels, London, that allegedly Russian agricultural exports and fertilizer exports are not subject to sanctions, are not confirmed."

"Unfortunately, we still face serious barriers to our agricultural exports and fertilizer exports. This applies to transactions, it concerns logistics and transport problems, insurance. Therefore, it is very important for us that the interests of the Russian Federation are fully taken into account and protected," Vershinin stated.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported that several key demands of Russia remain unresolved: the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT system, the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, the abolition of restrictions on insurance and the lifting of the ban on access to ports, the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, as well as the unblocking of foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies related to the production and transportation of food and fertilizers.

As the Deputy Foreign Minister explained, the restoration of the ammonia pipeline is hindered by Kiev, which puts forward political conditions for its launch. The diplomat also said that the UN is not sure that the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT can be implemented.

"Unfortunately, we are aware of the skeptical assessments of the UN that this can be done at all. Nevertheless, it is clear that without SWIFT ... Nothing will work. In manual mode, such operations cannot be done, "Vershinin said.

At the same time, the part of the transaction that concerns the export of Ukrainian products is being carried out regularly, the Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized.

"The first part of the package consists of agreements on the export of Ukrainian grain from ports under Ukrainian control. And this part is being carried out well, confidently, during this time more than 30 million tons of grain have been exported," the diplomat said.

At the same time, as Sergey Vershinin specified, more than 40% of products exported from Ukraine are sent to developed countries, and the poorest receive only 2.6%. According to him, this situation is regrettable.

Similar information was presented to the UN on May 8. According to the organization, of the 29.7 million tons of agricultural products exported from Ukraine by that time, only about 595 thousand tons (2%) were sent to Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen as part of humanitarian programs.

  • Grain transportation in Kenya
  • AP
  • © Gideon Maundu

The Russian diplomat also touched upon the topic of inspection of ships carrying Ukrainian agricultural products. According to him, such inspections are carried out in order to exclude the transportation of goods prohibited by the terms of the contract. However, earlier the UN said that the number of inspections in May decreased.

Russia takes ship inspections seriously as part of the grain deal and cannot sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity, Vershinin stressed.

"Our team at the Joint Coordination Center works very professionally. We must make sure that at the entrance and exit after loading, the vessels work as they should, that is, they carry the goods that are declared, there are no violations in the documentation. Therefore, we carry out inspections on the basis of a set of rules and procedures defined by consensus, which were laid down at the very beginning. And we can't sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity," Vershinin said.

"For humanitarian reasons"

According to analysts, Moscow's claims about the implementation of the deal are absolutely justified.

"The agreements provide for the fulfillment of the requirements of both sides. But the second half of the agreement, concerning Russian exports, is effectively ignored and sabotaged, despite the efforts of the UN secretariat. So Russia has absolutely reasonable arguments with which it is difficult to argue, "said Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in a conversation with RT.

  • UN
  • Gettyimages.ru
  • © Bob Krist

According to Oleg Matveychev, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, Information Technology and Communications, "the grain deal was conceived from the very beginning as a humanitarian operation."

"It was our blow to the Western strategy of blackmail and denigration of Russia. The West wanted to present Russia as a country that supposedly causes food shortages in African and Eastern countries. For humanitarian reasons, Russia agreed to conclude a grain deal, of course, setting its own conditions, including on the issue of fertilizer exports. After all, without fertilizers, it is impossible to ensure food security in the world, "the analyst explained in an interview with RT.

It is worth noting that earlier Russia expressed its readiness to supply fertilizers to countries in need free of charge. This, in particular, was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in September last year at a meeting of the heads of state of the SCO member states. According to him, about 300 thousand tons of fertilizers were arrested in European ports, which the Russian side was ready to give to developing countries, but it was impossible to do this due to EU restrictions.

Oleg Matveychev believes that the reluctance of the West to allow Russian fertilizers on the world market testifies to the hypocrisy of politicians from the EU and the United States, arguing about the threat of famine.

"If they care about the food security of millions of people, they should give the green light to the export of fertilizers. But this is not happening," the deputy stated.

According to Vadim Kozyulin, today "the West is not ready to take into account Russian interests." And if the situation does not change, the Russian Federation will have every reason to withdraw from the deal, the analyst believes.

"It seems to me that the West wants to exert maximum pressure on Russia against the backdrop of the expected Kyiv offensive. Therefore, I assume that Western countries will not want to make the concessions that the Russian side is waiting for. We have previously stated that we will not renew the deal if we are not heard. I can assume that if progress is not made, then Russia will be forced to freeze its participation in this project, "the analyst concluded.