Russia stops participating in an agreement to export Ukrainian grain

Uncertainty lingers on Monday over the future of the Black Sea Grains Agreement, which is considered crucial for world food, just hours after it expires in Paris at 11 a.m. in Istanbul.

Last-ditch maneuvers led by Turkey and the United Nations (UN) to convince Moscow to extend the treaty signed on the Bosphorus to July 2022 have been followed by calm and sanity throughout the weekend. In the past year, cargo ships have ensured safe passage to Ukrainian ports despite the war, transporting a total of 33 million tons of grain to world markets.

But Russia did not approve its renewal, and the initiative on grain in the Black Sea has now practically ceased. “As of June 27, no request for execution by all parties has been approved.”, according to a statement from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which oversees the deal in Istanbul. The last cargo checked by inspectors of the four signatories was a Turkish ship TQ SamsonThe site said it will depart from the Ukrainian port of Odessa on Sunday and head to Istanbul. Marine Traffic.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expressing his confidence: he promised on Friday that his Russian president is Vladimir Putin. “all right” with him regarding the extension of the agreement. But a Kremlin spokesman immediately responded that no such statement had been made.

Mr. Putin has repeatedly condemned this, along with Ukrainian products. He also ruled on Saturday “The main objective of the agreement, to provide grain to countries in need, especially on the African continent, has not been achieved”.

According to official JCC data, China and Turkey are the leading exporters among developed economies. But thanks to the agreement, the World Food Program (WFP) was able to free more than a dozen countries in difficult situations, such as Afghanistan, Sudan or Yemen.

So the involvement of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his spokesman said, followed many discussions. He met with EU officials over the weekend to block the operations of Russia’s main agricultural bank. Nothing is filtered from these interviews.