Washington is skeptical about Moscow’s position in UN negotiations, designed to unblock supplies from Ukrainian ports.
Washington will not agree to lift some of the sanctions on Moscow in exchange for lifting the blockade on Ukrainian ports for grain exports. This was reported by the publication Politico, citing sources.
It was noted that the UN is trying to strike a deal with Russia to resume grain exports from Ukraine through the Black Sea. However, representatives of President Joe Biden’s administration and lawmakers are highly skeptical of Russia’s “goodwill”.
As the UN representative stressed in a commentary to the publication, Moscow’s recent statements about lifting the blockade in exchange for sanctions “aggravate the fragile negotiations.”
A U.S. official called the Russian proposal “extortion diplomacy” and said the U.S. would not agree to an agreement that would remove any economic pressure on the Kremlin.
“It is difficult to accept the sincerity of Russia’s proposals, how it is actively and deliberately destroying food in Ukraine and exacerbating global food security,” a US official said.
Republicans were also angry at Russia’s calls for easing sanctions.
Idaho Senator Jim Rish said in an interview that Moscow’s request to ease sanctions in exchange for lifting their blockade on the Black Sea amounts to “blackmail”.
According to Politico, U.S. lawmakers are pushing the Biden administration to help Ukraine open a port in Odessa, but the White House has stopped sending warships to the region, as it could lead to further increases.
Earlier, the media reported that Ukraine, Russia and Turkey have agreed on a scheme for the export of grain from the port of Odessa. The “road map” is due to be approved on June 8-9 during the visit of the heads of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry to Turkey.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.