2023-07-15 16:46:35
Russian President Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin considered, on Saturday, that the main goal of the Ukrainian grain agreement, which is valid until July 17, has not been achieved, in a phone call with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.
The Kremlin stated that “Vladimir Putin indicated that the commitments stipulated in the memorandum of understanding between Russia and the United Nations on removing obstacles to the export of Russian food and fertilizer products have not yet been fulfilled.”
“The main objective of the agreement, the delivery of grain to needy countries, especially on the African continent, has not been achieved,” the Russian presidency added in a statement on this phone conversation.
This comes a day following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the mediator between Kiev and Moscow, confirmed that his Russian counterpart “agreed” with him on the principle of extending the vital agreement on Ukrainian grain.
But the Kremlin did not confirm these statements.
On Thursday, Putin expressed his regret that none of the Russian demands were met during the negotiations to extend the agreement.
The effects of the agreement concluded in July 2022 in Turkey, which was extended twice, expire at midnight on Monday, Istanbul time.
During the past year, it made it possible to export regarding 33 million tons of grain, especially wheat and corn, from Ukrainian ports, despite the continuation of the war.
On Saturday, Ramaphosa also discussed with Putin, according to the Kremlin, preparations for the BRICS summit that his country will host at the end of August, to which the Russian president was invited despite the issuance of an arrest warrant once morest him by the International Criminal Court.
The Kremlin indicated that the two presidents discussed on Saturday the Russian-African summit scheduled for the end of July in St. Petersburg and the peace initiative in Ukraine launched by several African leaders.
And the Russian presidency announced that Putin and Ramaphosa “agreed” to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of this summit in Russia.
1689441903
#main #goal #Ukraine #grain #deal #achieved
