War in Ukraine: grain deal ‘de facto terminated’, Russia says

An agreement to export Ukrainian grains, which expires at midnight, is “de facto complete,” the Kremlin said on Monday, assuring Russia would return to it “immediately” when its terms are met. Russia threatened for several weeks not to renew the deal because of alleged obstacles to its own supplies of agricultural products and fertilizers.

According to a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Kremlin notified Ukraine, Turkey and the UN of Russia’s decision. Germany reacted immediately, calling on Russia to “make it possible to extend the agreement” on grains in order to “not force the poorest parts of the planet to bear the consequences of this conflict.” “Moreover, we hope that in the future this grain agreement will not only be urgent or short-term, but grain and fertilizers can be exported from Ukraine for a long time,” the spokeswoman added.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, on Monday said he was convinced that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wanted to “continue the deal” on Ukrainian grains. “I think that despite today’s statement, my friend Vladimir Putin wants to continue the deal.”

Not “attached” to the terrorist attack on the Crimean bridge

This agreement, signed in Istanbul in July 2022 and renewed twice, allows Ukraine to export grain across the Black Sea, where Russian boats patrol. Thus, almost 33 million tons of grain were able to leave the Ukrainian ports, despite the intense armed conflict between Kiev and Moscow. Another purpose of the agreement was to supply grain to poor countries, in particular to Africa or the Middle East. According to Moscow, this goal has not been achieved.

The move comes just hours after an attack on a bridge linking Russia with Crimea killed two civilians. But according to a Kremlin spokesman, the explosion and the non-renewal of the agreement are unrelated. “Even before this attack, this was the position of President Putin,” he said.