Turkey and the United Nations (UN) intend to demand firm guarantees from Western countries to enter the markets of Russian agricultural products and ammonia. This was announced on February 27 by a source familiar with the negotiations.
“At the moment there are obstacles in terms of logistics, insurance and payment. I would like to receive reinforced concrete guarantees from Western countries, and for this to be made public, ”the interlocutor quotes “RIA News”.
It is noted that such guarantees could contribute to the smooth operation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
On February 20, it was also reported that negotiations on the extension of the grain deal, which expire on March 18, will resume in the coming days. There is a high risk that discussions will be difficult.
Prior to that, on February 10, State Duma deputy Yevgeny Nifantyev, in an interview with Izvestia, noted that by interfering with the supply of Russian fertilizers and grain under the grain deal, the West is provoking hunger in countries that need these products.
In turn, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said that Russia has not yet been able to export “not a grain” as part of a food deal. He stressed that the general licenses issued by the West for Russian goods are a sham and do not allow exporting products.
Prior to this, on January 21, the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that most of the products under the Black Sea initiative do not go to poor countries, as expected, but to states with high incomes.
At the same time, on February 22, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Yuriy Vaskov said that Ukraine would turn to Turkey and the UN with a request to start negotiations on extending the grain deal for at least one year.
The food deal was concluded on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul. Then Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and UN Secretary General António Guterres signed a memorandum on facilitating the supply of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets. At the same time, the Ukrainian delegation signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN on the export of grain.
The contract expired on November 18 last year, but meant an automatic extension for 120 days until March 18, in the absence of objections from either party.
