The UN proposes to Russia a plan to extend and improve the grain agreement

A deal in jeopardy. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, sent a letter to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, through the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, to advance on this agreement, which, until today, guarantees access to grains for millions of people in North Africa and the Middle East. The treaty expires in May of this year.

The organization claims that similar letters have been sent to the other two signatories to the agreement: Ukraine and Turkey. The proposal brings together the considerations of the parties and the risks for food security, according to the UN.

“He provided a detailed report on the progress already achieved in this regard and reiterated the commitment of the United Nations to continue working to address the outstanding issues,” according to Farhan Haq, the UN deputy spokesman.

Lavrov did not respond to questions before or after the 90-minute meeting with Guterres in New York, but Russia’s concerns about its grain and fertilizer exports were noted by the secretary-general.

Later, Russian news agency TASS quoted Lavrov as saying that Moscow would read the letter. “The Secretary General spoke of the efforts he is making so that the Russian side of this agreement makes as much progress as possible,” the Russian official told his media machine. “The progress so far, frankly, is not very remarkable,” he added, according to reports. Tass.

Deal shows logistical flaws

In recent weeks Russia raised its pulse by stating that the parallel deal with the United Nations to facilitate Russian agricultural exports for three years, especially fertilizers, does not give the results they expect.

This poses a serious risk to the continuity of the agreement, which was signed in July of last year and which has been renewed twice for a period of 60 days, the last one effective on May 18.

The United Nations expressed its concern to Russia about “recent obstacles” in the logistics of the center in charge of the entry and exit of ships to load grain in Ukrainian ports. The ships accumulate in the Turkish ports due to delays registered with the permits for the agreed inspections.

According to the agreement, Ukraine had to propose the order in which the ships were inspected and “different opinions” in recent weeks about this practice led to the delays, which Russia says are the responsibility of the UN and Ukraine.

Top Russian diplomat reprimanded for invasion in Ukraine

Lavrov arrived in New York to chair two meetings of the UN Security Council, one on Monday and another on Tuesday, because Russia has the monthly rotating presidency of this body.

The Russian official was reprimanded by the agency and by Western countries, which accuse his country of violating the UN Charter by invading Ukraine and occupying part of its territory. Lavrov responded to the accusations arguing that these countries want to end global diplomacy, a foundation of the United Nations, an organization created to avoid a third world war.

Ambassadors from the United States, the United Kingdom, France and the UN Secretary recalled the underlying principle in the United Nations Charter that obliges all countries to support the sovereignty, territory and political independence of each country, and argue that Russia violated that principle by invading Ukraine and illegally annexing various regions.

Russia convened a ministerial meeting for what it considers “multilateralism” necessary to defend the UN Charter, as part of the term of its presidency in the organization, in fact, one of the most controversial that diplomats remember.

Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador, called Russia a “hypocritical convener” for the “illegal, unprovoked and unnecessary” war in Ukraine, which her country said “struck at the heart of the UN Charter and all what we appreciate.”

The European Union has called Russia’s attempt to portray itself as a defender of the United Nations Charter “cynical” because, they say, Russia has never complied with General Assembly resolutions demanding the immediate withdrawal of its troops from Ukraine.

Russia stuck to its rhetoric about the invasion, accusing Ukraine of promoting “Nazi practices” and being a NATO ally to expand close to its territory. “This is about how international relations will continue to be shaped by establishing a strong consensus on the basis of the balance of interests, or through the aggressive and volatile advance of Washington’s hegemony,” Lavrov said.

“Let’s call things by their name. Nobody allowed the Western minority to speak on behalf of all humanity,” Lavrov said after accusing the United States and the West of establishing an “order” that limits their access to financial technologies and services for not agree with their form of governance. According to him, Washington is “destroying globalization”.

“We must adapt the multilateral institutions; build trust where it is most needed. The urgency of global challenges demands bold and swift action,” Guterres added during his speech.

With EFE and AP