Negotiations between UN officials and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin on the possibility of extending the grain agreement began on Monday in Geneva, Reuters reported.
An agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea was signed by Russia and Ukraine with the participation of the UN and Turkey. Her term expires March 18.
The Russian side has repeatedly stated that it will extend the deal only if restrictions on its export of agricultural products are lifted. It is not subject to sanctions, however, according to Moscow, Russian suppliers “are faced with outright obstacles.”
At the same time, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said last week that Russia is using the grain agreement as an instrument of pressure and has systematically and purposefully violated its terms in recent months.
Despite all the contradictions, experts believe that the deal will be extended.
Last week, UN Secretary General António Guteris arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Russia and Ukraine probably won’t get everything they want, but I think the importing countries will be lobbying behind the scenes for an extension of the agreement, Matt Amerman, commodity risk manager at StoneX, was quoted by Reuters.
The agreement was extended by 120 days in November and was scheduled to be extended on March 18 if neither side raises objections. However, Moscow has already signaled that it will only agree to a continuation if restrictions on its own exports are lifted.
Russian agricultural exports have not been directly targeted by the West, but Moscow says sanctions on its payment, logistics and insurance industries are an obstacle to exporting its own grain and fertilizer.
At a meeting of the UN General Assembly in early February, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN Serhiy Kyslytsya said that recently Russia has been blocking the work of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, exacerbating the global food crisis. “The Russian Federation hinders verification procedures. Immediately after the export of Ukrainian food products began to grow, Russia reduced the number of inspection teams from five to three and artificially increased the duration of each inspection,” the official said. Also, Kislitsa said, Russian inspectors regularly refuse to work under various pretexts while all other parties are ready to fulfill their duties.
As Voice of America reported, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at the G20 meeting in India called on Russia to continue the UN-brokered agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain.
It is critical that the G20 advocate for the continuation and expansion of the grain initiative to improve food security for the most vulnerable, Blinken told G20 foreign ministers in New Delhi.
Source: Racurs
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