The country’s permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, said at a meeting of the organization’s Security Council that within two months, for which the grain deal was extended, the West should withdraw from sanctions operations accompanying agricultural exports from Russia. It is reported by RBC with reference to the broadcast of the meeting on the UN media resource.
“If Washington, Brussels and London are really interested in continuing the export of food from Ukraine through the sea corridor in their own interests, then they have two months to, with the assistance of the UN, withdraw from their sanctions the entire chain of operations accompanying Russian agricultural exports,” Nebenzya said. According to him, the grain deal in this part “is not carried out one iota.”
The permanent representative added that the further fate of the agreement, which has now been extended until May 18, will depend on the solution of these problems.
Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN signed a grain deal in July last year. It consists of two parts. The Black Sea Grain Initiative involves the creation of a safe corridor for the export of Ukrainian grain from the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny, and the Memorandum of Understanding between Russia and the UN is the removal of obstacles to the export of Russian agricultural products.
Among the problems that arise with Russian exports are the blocking of Russian fertilizers in European ports and the cessation of the operation of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline. Moscow also insists that the sanctions imposed on Russia indirectly create barriers to grain exports. Some restrictions are aimed at the production of agricultural products and fertilizers within the country, the Foreign Ministry noted.
The EU Delegation to Russia rejected allegations of sanctions interference with Russian agricultural exports. “EU sanctions on Russia do not prohibit the import, export, purchase or trade of food and fertilizers from Russia. Transactions are allowed, even if they involve sanctioned persons, sanctions do not apply to third countries, ”they said.
By the beginning of this March, according to the UN, thanks to the deal, almost 780 ships with 23 million tons of grain left Ukraine. Kyiv offered to extend the deal immediately for a year, as well as add the port of Nikolaev to the agreement.
Source: Rosbalt
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