2023-08-31 16:39:00
Russia awaits ‘guarantees’ on Black Sea grain deal before rejoining, foreign minister says
A tractor works the field on a private farm in Zhurivka, Kyiv region, Ukraine, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023. Efrem Lukatsky/AP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Russia is ready to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative as soon as what Moscow says are promises turn into concrete guarantees.
Russia withdrew from the initiative in July, nearly a year following Turkey and the United Nations brokered it to ensure the safe passage of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea and help facilitate Russian grain and fertilizer exports.
Russia has persistently complained that the benefits envisioned in the deal never materialized.
Speaking in Moscow following a talk with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Lavrov said that “we have conveyed to our Turkish partners our understanding of what needs to be done in the West, first of all, to restore the viability of this initiative. “.
“There is not a single guarantee in this (proposal) yet; there is only a promise to try faster and more actively, and it all comes down to the fact that the West is hindering the solution of the problems that prevent a more active export of Russian products. Russian cereals and fertilizers,” Lavrov said.
“President (Vladimir) Putin has repeatedly, officially and clearly said that as soon as action is taken, not on negotiations on the Russian side of the Black Sea package, but on action to resolve all those issues that have not been met, despite the promises of the UN Secretary General, whose efforts we appreciate, but as soon as the talks turn into a concrete decision on the same day, we will be ready to resume the Ukrainian part of the grain package,” Lavrov said.
“I can only confirm that as soon as there are no promises but guarantees, with a concrete result that can be put into practice tomorrow, the implementation of this package will be fully resumed,” he added.
The Russian foreign minister said he and Fidan had also discussed Putin’s initiative to arrange “deliveries of up to one million tons of Russian grain to Turkey at a reduced price for processing in Turkish companies and shipment to the most needy of the world”. Lavrov said that Qatar was willing to help finance the initiative.
More context on the grain deal: The Black Sea Initiative has been important in stabilizing world food markets since the war began in February last year, particularly for poorer countries that are most dependent on grain supplies from the region .
Before the war, Ukraine was the fifth largest wheat exporter globally, accounting for 10% of exports, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Ukraine is also among the world’s top three exporters of barley, corn and rapeseed oil, according to Gro Intelligence, an agricultural data company.
The agreement had allowed the export of nearly 33 million metric tons of food through Ukrainian ports, according to UN data.
CNN’s Anna Cooban contributed reporting to this publication.
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