June 14 () –
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Wednesday of a lack of progress and positive results from the agreement reached with the United Nations to guarantee the export of Russian agricultural products within the framework of the grain agreement.
Thus, the highest representative of Russian diplomacy has stressed once again that, in this context, “we cannot speak of any additional extension” of the aforementioned pact for the export of Ukrainian cereals and Russian fertilizers from Ukrainian ports.
“I will say it again: if the ‘Istanbul package’ does not work (…) before July 17, then there can be no talk of any further extension,” Lavrov warned, considering Russian fertilizers to be the same. important than the Ukrainian grain.
“The world needs Russian fertilizers and wheat no less than Ukrainian feed grain, which is a product of US corporations and dumped by Europeans,” added Minister Lavrov.
At this point, Lavrov has regretted that the grain agreement, originally called the ‘Black Sea Initiative’, has become “a commercial project” that has not fulfilled its objective of supplying wheat to those most in need.
According to data from the Russian authorities, only three percent of the grain shipments that have sailed from Ukrainian ports since July 2022 have finally ended up in those “poorest” countries.
“We ask that attention be paid to the protests of five countries of the European Union against the supply of Ukrainian grain with zero tariffs,” added Lavrov, who has urged the EU to “buy the surplus” of wheat and transfer it to the Program Food World.
The Russian and Ukrainian authorities reached an agreement in mid-July last year — mediated by Turkey and the UN — for the export of grain and other agricultural products through Ukrainian ports and across the Black Sea.
After several extensions, Moscow has warned that the pact will not be extended beyond July 17 if some failures in the agreement have not been corrected by that date, which they consider to benefit Ukraine more since Russian products are not being transported.
