Vladimir Putin: Russia will return to the grain deal if its demands are met "in full"
Russia is ready to rejoin the agreement for the transport of Ukrainian grain on the Black Sea if its demands are met "in full", Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. He stressed that all the principles of Russia's participation in the agreement must be fulfilled without exception, otherwise its extension "makes no sense", AFP reports.
"We will examine the possibility of returning to the agreement, but on one condition: if all the principles of Russia's participation in this agreement are taken into account and implemented without exception and in their entirety," Putin told a televised government meeting.
Russia decided this week not to extend the agreement allowing Ukrainian grain exports, saying its own supplies of agricultural products and fertiliser are being hampered by sanctions. Moscow is thus demanding that Russian banks and financial institutions be reconnected to the SWIFT international banking system, which they were deprived of after the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, Agerpres notes.
Russia's agricultural sector, one of the world's biggest grain exporters along with Ukraine, is thus having to cope with a shortage of spare parts for machinery and industry, as well as problems insuring ships.
Finally, Moscow is demanding the resumption of the giant pipeline linking the Russian city of Togliatti to the Ukrainian port of Odessa, which serves the export of ammonia, a key fertiliser component. The pipeline was damaged by an explosion in June blamed on Kiev by Moscow.
"As soon as these conditions are met, we will immediately return to this agreement," Putin said, accusing Western countries of "shamelessly profiting" from Ukraine's grain exports. Putin also accused the West of using the agreement Russia withdrew from this week as an instrument of "political blackmail". "Instead of helping countries that really need it, the West has used the agreement on grain shipments for political blackmail and made it a tool to enrich multinationals and speculators on the world market," Putin said.
According to him, the grain deal has caused losses worth $1.2 billion to Russian farmers and a drop in export profitability. "Our country is in a position to replace Ukrainian grain both commercially and free of charge," Putin further said, predicting a "record harvest" this year.
Russia suspended the agreement on grain exports through the Black Sea on 18 July. Signed in July 2022 in Istanbul, the Black Sea Initiative between Russia and Ukraine, under the aegis of Turkey and the United Nations, has allowed the export of some 33 million tonnes of grain from Ukraine despite the war.
