(Original title: Russia complains that food and fertilizers are still excluded from the United States, saying it is working with the United Nations to solve the problem)
Financial Associated Press, September 10 (Editor Xia Junxiong)On Friday (September 9) local time, James O’Brien, director of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Sanctions Coordination, said the United States is working with the United Nations to address Russia’s complaints that Western sanctions have hindered Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports to world markets.
In July, under the mediation of the United Nations and Turkey, Russia and Ukraine reached a package agreement. According to the agreement, Ukraine can resume grain exports in the Black Sea region, and the West will also facilitate the export of Russian food and fertilizers.
Russia and Ukraine are both major grain exporters in the world, and the two countries together account for 1/3 of global wheat exports. In addition, Russia is also the world’s major fertilizer producer, and the export volume of nitrogen fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer and potash fertilizer ranks among the top in the world, of which potash fertilizer accounts for regarding 20% of the global supply.
After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the West imposed a series of sanctions on Russia, but did not involve the latter’s food and fertilizers. However, Russia has said that despite the lack of direct Western sanctions, there has been a chilling effect, with many buyers seeking to shun Russian food and fertilizers.
O’Brien said the United States would do what it might to address specific complaints, and that Russia and the United Nations had engaged and made some specific demands. “I think we’ll see progress in the coming weeks,” he added.
Top U.N. and Russian officials met in Geneva, Switzerland, on Wednesday to discuss related issues. The United Nations described the discussions as positive and very constructive.
O’Brien revealed that the United Nations has found a way for the United States to have a dialogue with some Russian companies on specific issues. “We will take the necessary steps to show every business player that they can buy Russian food and fertilizer,” O’Brien said.
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Russia says its exports of agricultural products and fertilizers face these difficulties: logistical sanctions, restricted access to Western ports for Russian ships and difficulties in obtaining insurance. Moscow stressed that easing the restrictions was part of a UN-led quadrilateral agreement.
“The West has not fulfilled the UN Secretary-General’s promise to us that they have not decided to lift the logistical sanctions that hinder Russia’s free access to world markets for grains and fertilizers,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday.
On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia intends to provide free potash to developing countries. He pointed out that although the EU’s export ban on Russian fertilizers has been loosened, it is still prohibited to ship Russian fertilizers to non-EU countries through European ports. As a result, a large amount of Russian fertilizers has been stranded in many ports in European countries due to sanctions.