Russia sees no reason to extend the "grain deal"

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that it does not consider it possible to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was concluded last summer to export grain from Ukrainian ports.

This is stated in a statement on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

The Russian foreign ministry claims that the "grain deal" has turned into a "purely commercial export of Ukrainian food to 'well-fed' countries," while the situation with the supply of food and fertilizers from Russia "continued to degrade".

None of Moscow's earlier demands, such as the accession of a Kremlin-linked bank to the SWIFT system, the lifting of sanctions on spare parts for agricultural machinery, the resumption of the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline, etc., has been met, the Russian Foreign Ministry complains.

"Under these conditions, it is obvious that there are no grounds for further extension of the Black Sea Initiative, which ends on July 17," the ministry states.

Author - Olena Madiak, 04/07/2023