Russia has not made any statements on the extension of the Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said on Friday after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan earlier caused confusion when he said that he was in agreement with Putin that it should be extended.
According to TASS news agency, Putin said on Thursday he had not seen the letter from Guterres proposing an extension of the deal, but that Russia was in contact with UN officials.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday pushed for Russia to extend and expand the Black Sea deal, accusing Russia of using the agreement “as a weapon” by threatening to end it.
“If Russia is not going to end its horrific war of aggression against Ukraine, at the very least it could extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative so that these food products can get out to the world, keeping prices down, keeping supply up,” Blinken told a news conference in Jakarta.
To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, a three-year memorandum of understanding was struck in July 2022 under which UN officials agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets.
While Russian exports of food and fertiliser are not subject to Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have amounted to a barrier to shipments.
A key demand by Russia is the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT. It was cut off by the EU in June 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The EU is considering connecting a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT to allow for grain and fertilizer transactions, sources familiar with discussions said on Wednesday.
Source: CNA
