Moscow notifies Ankara, Kiev, UN Secretariat of its objections to grain deal extension
MOSCOW, July 17. /TASS/. Russia has officially notified Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN Secretariat of its objection to extending the grain deal, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS.
"Today, Russia officially notified the Turkish and Ukrainian sides, as well as the UN Secretariat, of its objection to the extension of the deal. A statement from the Foreign Ministry with detailed explanations of the Russian position will be published soon," the diplomat said.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Monday that the Black Sea agreements have been effectively terminated on Monday - the part of the deal concerning Russia has not been fulfilled. "The Black Sea agreements are no longer in effect. The deadline, as the Russian president said earlier, is July 17. Unfortunately, the part of the Black Sea agreement that concerns Russia has not yet been fulfilled. As a result, it has been terminated," he said.
"As soon as the Russian part [of the deal] is fulfilled, the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of this deal," Peskov added.
He also noted that Russia’s position on suspending its participation in the grain deal was announced before the most recent terrorist act on the Crimean Bridge and this attack does not influence Moscow’s decision.
On July 22, 2022, a package of documents on the supply of food and fertilizers to the international market was signed in Istanbul. The agreements were originally concluded for a period of 120 days. They were extended for the same period last November. On March 18, 2023, Russia announced the extension of the deal for 60 days. The grain deal was extended for two more months on May 18.
Photo by Ivan Noyabrev/TASS
