Russia announced Monday that it was suspending its participation in a deal that was signed last year to facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
Another aspect of the deal was that the UN agreed to help remove obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizer, and Russia has said enough hasn’t been done in that regard. The Kremlin said that Moscow would only rejoin the initiative if more of its demands are met.
“When the part of the Black Sea deal related to Russia is implemented, Russia will immediately return to the implementation of the deal,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
US and other Western sanctions technically have exemptions for Russian agricultural goods, but they make overall shipping from Russia more difficult. One of Russia’s demands is to reconnect the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT payment system.
In a statement on Russia’s withdrawal from the deal, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres listed ways he helped facilitate more Russian shipments and pointed to a rise in Russian fertilizer and wheat exports, but he did acknowledge there are still obstacles.
“I am aware of some obstacles that remained in the foreign trade of Russian food and fertilizer products,” Guterres said. “This is precisely why I sent a letter to President Putin with a new proposal to keep the Black Sea Initiative alive.”
In the letter to Putin, Guterres said that since the deal was signed last year, “Russian grain trade has reached high export volumes and fertilizer markets are stabilizing with Russian exports nearing full recovery, as stated by the Russian Union of Grain Exporters and Russian Fertilizer Producers Association.”
Russia said its suspension of the deal means that it can no longer guarantee the security of ships carrying grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the decision means “the recall of maritime navigation security guarantees, the discontinuation of the maritime humanitarian corridor [and] the reinstatement of the ‘temporarily dangerous area’ regime in the north-western Black Sea.”
Russia established safe corridors as part of the deal due to the heavy mining of Ukraine’s ports. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wanted to continue the deal without Russia’s participation and said shipping companies were ready to do so as well.
“We were approached by companies that own ships. They said that they are ready, if Ukraine gives it, and Turkey continues to let it through, then everyone is ready to continue supplying grain,” Zelensky said.
The deal was brokered by both the UN and Turkey and established a monitoring center in Istanbul. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkish officials will speak with their Russian counterparts in an effort to restore the initiative. He said that overall, the deal was a “diplomatic success” and that over 33 million tonnes of grain were exported in the past year.
Russia Pulls Out of Black Sea Grain Deal
Russia needs to blockade Odessa prior to taking it.
They already have. Entire zone is now declared as active military operations. No foreign ships and most importantly, an open season on any Pentagon spy drones.
Seriously???
Seems like Russia got the better of this trade.
I have not seen any reports saying this as of now.
It was last night I think after they Kalibrated ports in Odessa and Nikolaev
“if you want some food then you all better wise up”
….. uncle Ivan
It could be a cold hungry winter in Europe if they keep messing with Russia.
Hear me out. The blind squirrel may have found a nut. So, Obama knew that Russia enjoyed escalation dominance in Ukraine. Many non-MSM military experts have been telling us for months that Ukraine was running out of ammunition. Then out of the blue, Biden suddenly admits that Ukraine is actually running out of ammunition? This tells me one thing. People in the Pentagon and CIA must have kept this piece of information from him deliberately to sabotage his plans in Ukraine. I know the neocons are stupid and everything, but if Biden knew, wouldn’t he have done something about it before now? I know… Keep looking for nuts… (Sarcasm)
Our peerless leader can”t find his ass with both hands,such a pity that people with his character and ability get elected. shame on us.
You don’t get the best and brightest in government. People who would make ‘better leaders’ stay away from the D.C. Swamp as they see what they can do to you and your family if you don’t play their game and they want no parts of it. What you get instead are people like Biden, someone who hasn’t had a creative thought in 50 years, and other parasites that are in it for themselves and once in office take on the D.C. mentality. The idea of ‘Public Servants’ working for the benefit of the people went out a long time ago, if it ever existed.
Whether it ever existed is a really good question or have our passive ignorant citizens gotten so used to BS that they have forgotten how it smells?Perhaps way back when MR Smith went to Washington things were different but he too was fighting corruption. No body is fighting graft and greed now. They all are rich and become richer as lobbys for Corporations
Yep. It has always been there but don’t believe its ever been so blatant for all to see, even Don Julio. They just don’t seem to try and hide the corruption any longer. The U.S. has been on a downward spiral for some time and like the proverbial snowball picking up speed as it rolls down the hill, the corruption just seeems to get worse and this planted Biden Administration has set new standards on how to use political power to enrich themselves. Not that it’s my original thought, but I’ve been saying for probably 20 years that the U.S. will split up and become several nations in the future.
“I am aware of some obstacles that remained in the foreign trade of Russian food and fertilizer products,” Guterres said. “This is precisely why I sent a letter to President Putin with a new proposal to keep the Black Sea Initiative alive.”
Maybe he should have been writing Biden instead. He’s the one who double crossed Russia (and the World) that upended the deal.
Better write to Putin, he is the one who invaded and created this chaos.
Your mistaken BS is getting tiresome and boring.
Yes, a Spassiba letter.
The Sec General is a puppet.
Very unfortunate revelation.
They had entire year to keep it alive. Instead of feeding the poor, these rats used stolen Ukrainian gain to stuff their pockets.
And the EU stuffed it’s face.
Why should Russia participate in Ukraine shipments while their own are being screwed with?
That’s true.
On the other hand, it will be interesting to see what side Erdogan’s bread is buttered on this week, and whether he might close off the strait to all Russian traffic.
He might be using a closure a negotiation point on the Kurds.
Both parties during the election assured Turkey the Kurdish refugees were going back to Syria which means back to the Northern part where we control to keep that oil flowing to the EU.
Nothing is only one thing/binary but those Kurds have to be a huge consideration among other considerations.
The Bosphorus is already closed to all military traffic. Turks can’t close it to civilian traffic. Not without violating a very old treaty on this matter.
Right. Much of the world would be very unhappy if the straits were closed to civilian traffic. And a closure targeting Russia? No way is Erdogan that dumb and reckless.
Yep. Actually, I forgot to mention that Montreux Convention prevents access to the Black Sea of any military vessel that isn’t native to the Black Sea in a time of war.
This means that the Black Sea is effectively a Russian lake for the duration of SMO. They can bring their warships in and out from the Mediterranean.
“They can bring their warships in and out from the Mediterranean.”
If Turkey lets them.
Why wouldn’t they? You think Erdogan is going to extort the imperials?
Erdogan extorts everyone, on every issue where he thinks he might gain by doing so — and does a good job of it. He’s had NATO and Russia in a continuous bidding war for his favor for several years, and really ramped it up when the Ukraine war started.
True but he still remembers the attempted coup and lets not forget about plastic bags on heads of Pentagon seamen 😉
Yeah, he’s been trafficking on the “attempted coup” ever since it happened. One almost wonders if it wasn’t an Erdogan production from start to finish.
Great move in any case. Turks realize their geostrategic importance to the Anglo-American empire and can extort it without hesitation or remorse now.
I haven’t checked recently, but I think Russian warships were only allowed to transit the straits pursuant to the “return to home port” provisions of Montreux.
Yes, that is more likely correct. I imagine Turks to be hanging on to this treaty with both hands and executing everything to the letter.
I agree. Erdogan is a master of . . . umm . . . balancing opposing forces for Turkey’s benefit — balancing as one does with a pole on a tightrope. As good as he is, the stakes for all the players are unusually high this time around. Montreux is an awesomely-useful tool for him.
Oh yeah. I can’t help but admire the guy. I know how Bulgar and Greeks feel about Turks but they can learn a great deal from Sultan Erdogan. European imperial vassal states close to Russia as well. (Looking at you Poland)
Oh no! Violate a treaty?
Come one, you can’t believe an old treaty would ever get in a way of a politician…lol.
That one is important. I believe it was signed after Crimean war when Russians exterminated about 200.000 English grunts forcing both England and France to flee in shame. US was on Russian side at that time.
After the Crimean war it was signed?
Seriously?
You can’t believe anyone bothers with a treaty that old?
Oh yes. Strictly enforced as well. No foreign ship can stay in the Black Sea for more than 21 days during peacetime.
Sure it is…
The US did not sign it nor obeys it when it pleases us.
In fact I doubt most of NATO would “obey” a treaty from the 1930’s if they decide to given that Russia is on everyone’s Schifflist.
Turkey is not going to obey it either if they decide that is the way they want to go with our backing.
Any country violating it today would be in a war with Russian Federation. Nobody wants that.
I don’t even recall anyone violating during peacetime. Or we would have seen Persian treatment of Pentagon grunts. Remember that?
Sultan Erdogan does have a remarkable skill at sitting on two burning chairs and not getting his ass burnt.
Erdogan has experienced Russian escalation dominance before. I doubt they want another trip to the woodshed.
That was back when people still believed Russia was a significant conventional military threat. Now the cat is out of the bag. Erdogan will negotiate with Putin as, at worst, an equal.
You misspelled Anglo-American empire. Entire world can see how pathetic and cowardly they are.
It wasn’t military might that brought Erdogan to heel last time, it was trade sanctions and the vanishing Russian tourist rubles.
Putin’s knack for interpersonal relationships based on equality and respect have been key to his success in the field of foreign policy.
We make enemies. He makes friends.
Russia should’ve thought about that before the invasion.
Why does the Sec General of the UN keep up this ridiculous facade of being an independent agent?
It’s a good strategic choice for Russia, proving that it’s not just the west that can impose escalating costs on their enemies. As Ukraine’s grain rots in port in the coming weeks, food costs worldwide will keep going up until more sustainable local production becomes cost effective. This also ensures that as NATO commits to backing Ukraine for years, Ukraine will now require not just mountains of advanced weapons to stay in existence, but mountains of cash as well. We have neither to spare, and certainly not the political will to bleed ourselves dry for no sensible reason.
killing Russians and eventually Chinese is the name of the game.
Some conspiracy theorists (nothing wrong with label) suggest the drone that destroyed the Crimea bridge could have been launched from one of the “grain” ships. That’s another potentially good reason even if not true or proven.
What makes you think it will rot? Our people are very resourceful and the benefit is now the terrorist occupational regime in Kiev will have no choice but to feed Ukrainian people.