War against Ukraine: Russia threatens to end grain deal in May

War against Ukraine: Russia threatens to end grain deal in May

Foreign Minister Lavrov is demanding relief for his own agricultural exports – otherwise Russia will block Ukrainian Black Sea ports again. And he brings a deal with Turkey and Qatar into play.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has threatened to end the international agreement on grain exports from Ukraine.

Russia will not extend the agreement without facilitating its own agricultural exports, Lavrov said during a visit to Turkey. “If there is still no movement in removing barriers to Russian fertilizer and grain exports, we will consider whether we need the agreement,” he was quoted as saying by the state news agency Tass. If the West does not give in, Russia could resume the blockade of the Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

At the meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu in Ankara, Lavrov said to the West: “They should continue to ship the relevant goods from Ukraine overland by rail or by river.” Russia will then work with Turkey and Qatar to sell its agricultural goods on the world market. The plans for this have already been discussed.

The agreement expires without an extension in the middle of next month.

Fears of a hunger crisis

After the start of its war of aggression against Ukraine in February last year, Russia had blocked the Ukrainian Black Sea ports for months, thereby preventing grain exports. Ukraine is one of the most important exporters worldwide. As a result, there were fears of a hunger crisis, especially in poorer countries.

An agreement was then negotiated in the summer, mediated by Turkey and the United Nations. Since then, according to Turkish information, more than 27 million tons of Ukrainian grain have entered the world market.

The agreement, originally concluded for 120 days, has been extended twice, the last time only for 60 days. Russia has repeatedly threatened to scrap the agreement. This is also justified by the fact that the country’s own exports of grain and fertilizer are being hampered by western sanctions.

Source: Stern

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts