What are Vladimir Putin’s motives in announcing Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal, and what does this move mean for the prospects for peace talks in Ukraine?
Russia’s decision to withdraw from the grain agreement, which allows wars to carry out the export of agricultural products from Ukraine, announced by the Kremlin after the attack by Ukrainian drones on the ships of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol on October 29, caused a great resonance in German press. Was this decision spontaneous or did Putin prepare it for a long time? And is hope now lost for a quick end to the war?
FAZ: “Ending the “grain deal” is a blow to Ukraine”
Russia’s withdrawal from the grain agreement is also a blow against Ukraine, believes Friedrich Schmidt, a Moscow correspondent for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) newspaper.
Recall that in recent weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly criticized the Black Sea Initiative, thanks to which, according to the UN, 9.2 million tons of grain were exported from Ukraine at the end of October, the journalist suggests: “The purpose of Russia’s threats to withdraw from the agreement is obviously to achieve additional support from the West for the export of Russian agricultural products. Its punitive measures are not directly affects.”
According to Schmidt, not only the Russian state profits from the export of agricultural products, but also those close to Putin, such as the former Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Alexander Tkachev and the son-in-law of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Pointing out that the Kremlin’s campaign against the “grain agreement” also coincided with a period of lack of success by the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, the FAZ observer concluded: “Russia wants more to harm Ukraine, where the income from grain export is very important.”
Commenting on Moscow’s statement that the ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, which were attacked by Ukrainian drones, ensured the security of the “grain corridor”, the journalist recalled that the very need for its creation was justified of the Russian invasion. of Ukraine, in which the Black Sea Fleet was involved from the very beginning – “in particular, during the extraction of Ukrainian energy and infrastructure from the sea.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung: “Hope for negotiations is in vain”
According to Thomas Avenarius, columnist for the newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, the reason used by Vladimir Putin to terminate the grain agreement, especially the attack by Ukrainian drones on the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, shows that the president of Russia will “continue to cooperate with its most effective weapon – clear threats addressed to the supporters of Kyiv”.
Assessing the Kremlin’s unsubstantiated accusations against the UK in connection with the attack on Sevastopol Bay and damage to the Nord Stream pipelines, the journalist said: “Putin is hardly surprised that Kyiv troops are attacking ships Russia’s war on the coast of Crimea: in The summer has sunk into the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, the cruiser “Moskva”. And the fact that the British are not only supplying (Ukraine).. – Ed.) weapon, but also help, at least in the areas of logistics and intelligence, sparrows whistled from the roofs of the Kremlin.
“What does Putin want?” asked the Süddeutsche Zeitung columnist, trying to analyze the logic of the Russian president’s actions. “First, he made the hope of negotiations (on ending the war in Ukraine) meaningless. – Ed.): after all, the grain agreement is considered a “springboard” for their initiation through Turkey and the UN, – argues Avenarius. – At the same time, threats against supporters of Kyiv are not ambiguous. The direct participation of the British military in the Ukrainian attack could be the basis for a war between Russia and NATO. Putin hardly wants such a war. But threats remain his most effective weapon.”
WAZ: “Putin is leading the issue to make the conflict worse”
The important role of the “grain deal” in the involvement of Russia and Ukraine as a “small step” on the way to a future peace agreement between the two countries was also indicated by Jan Dörner, a commentary for the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung ( WAZ). ).
Meanwhile, in his opinion, the events of recent weeks have shown that Vladimir Putin himself “does not see the will to achieve peace through negotiations.” “After all, instead of getting worse, Putin is doing everything to aggravate the conflict,” the journalist wrote, listing in this matter of mobilization, the annexation of occupied territories in the east and south of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the deliberate destruction of a neighboring state’s civilian infrastructure and energy supply system before the onset of winter, and the threat of using nuclear weapons.
“By blocking the export of grain, the master of the Kremlin is deliberately causing trouble to other states, exposing them to the threat of a hunger crisis,” the journalist emphasizes.
“By ending the grain deal, Putin wants to put pressure on Ukraine and its allies, such as Germany, to give in to his “imperial hunger,” Dörner said. “Because that means military is that Putin will not achieve his goals. For this reason, the Russian president is making a bet on intimidating the civilian population of Ukraine through air attacks and causing great economic damage to this country, ending the export agreement .”
According to the WAZ observer, Putin seeks to divide the EU and undermine public unity among EU member states by raising electricity prices and creating fear of a nuclear strike, Great Britain participating in the -attack on the Black Sea Fleet and explosions in the Nord Batis.
“However, Ukraine and its partners should not allow themselves to be embarrassed,” the journalist is sure. “Economic sanctions against Russia must be maintained and strengthened, arms supplies to Ukraine must be continued.” “After all, only when Ukraine gets stronger and Russia’s positions weaken will the opportunity for negotiations open up. But even then, many more small steps will be needed to achieve peace.”
Kölnische Rundschau: “The pressure on Putin is growing”
Raimund Neuss, a commentator for the newspaper Kölnische Rundschau, sees Russia’s cancellation of the “grain deal” as another attempt by Moscow to inform its opponents: “Those who defend themselves are acting wrongly.”
“Whether Moscow incites a catastrophe with famine, rants about a dirty bomb, or sends signals about a nuclear strike against Germany: every time it is the same blackmail strategy,” he wrote. “They are trying to take half the world hostage because Ukraine can be defeated militarily.”
The journalist added that during the attack on the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation, the hit was “apparently, not only on the frigate that scared Ukraine with cruise missiles (information about the damage to the warship Admiral Makarov that was not confirmed by the Russian Federation. – Ed.At the same time, he refers to the ultra-patriotic public of Russia, which discussed the rumors about the resignation of the commander of the “Center” group of troops in Ukraine, General Alexander Lapin, who was previously criticized by the leader of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov. and businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin – the alleged head of PMC Wagner.
“After the decision to unite the Ukrainian territories, speaking of the loss of reality, will not come out of this war without losing face. However, the combination of supporters of ultra-nationalist views that oppose conventional wisdom and irregular private army can put him in a position where holding on to power will be more important than saving face, – the author of the commentary believes. – It seems that Kyiv is betting on it.”
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.