He pointed out that Ukraine refused to raise the issue of Russian grain during negotiations held last week in Istanbul under the auspices of the United Nations and Turkey.
Ukrainian ports have been closed since the start of the conflict in late February, with more than 20 million tonnes of grain stored in silos, fueling fears of a global food crisis.
As for Russian grain and fertilizer exports are affected by Western sanctions affecting logistics problems and Russian financing chains.
« We agreed on the basic principles for the export of Ukrainian grain, but when our delegation asked to add a second section (concerning grain produced by Russia), the Ukrainians categorically refused. The UN delegation has been shamefully silent said Lavrov.
Russia’s demands
Food prices were rising rapidly and millions were at risk of starvation as Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain producers, was unable to get its grain to market world, causing a worldwide food crisis.
It should be noted that the harvests of Russia and Ukraine accounted for around 28% of global wheat exports in 2021.
During his visit to Tehran on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded the lifting of Western restrictions on Russian grain to allow a deal on Ukrainian exports.
Turkey intervenes
In this context, Istanbul hosted a military meeting last Wednesday with the participation of officials from Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and the United Nations, to discuss the transport of grain blocked in Ukrainian ports.
In the joint statement issued following the meeting, “fundamental issues such as joint inspections between Russia and Ukraine at exit and port access points and ensuring the security of navigation on transport routes”.
Indeed, it was a big step towards solving the crisis, and now the solution to the grain crisis and its shipment from Istanbul will be organized by the body that was created with the participation of all parties.
By planning to open this safe passage through Turkey, it is likely that the goal of reaching the millions of tons of grain in the targeted markets as soon as possible will be achieved, preventing the spread of the global food crisis. On the other hand, Moscow will obtain guarantees that certain Western sanctions will be lifted.
