The Turkish authorities hope to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which expires tomorrow, July 17. This was stated by Vice President of Turkey Cevdet Yilma.
In his opinion, the planned visit to Turkey by Russian leader Vladimir Putin can be considered in this favor. “I hope there will be positive results,” Yilmaz added.
Meanwhile, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said earlier that Washington is ready for any development of events with the “grain deal” and is interacting with Ukraine on this issue. According to him, if Moscow does not renew the deal, then the “rest of the world” will look at it and say that Russia has “turned away” from providing the countries of the global South, Africa, Latin America and Asia with the necessary food at affordable prices. In Sullivan’s view, Russia will face “huge diplomatic costs” in the future.
Moscow, however, believes that the grain agreement, which is designed to serve humanitarian purposes, “has long degenerated into a commercial project”, the main volumes of Ukrainian grain go to the EU states, and the “needy countries” get the bare minimum.
The EU Delegation replied that developing countries received the largest share (55%) of food exports from Ukraine and 65% of wheat. According to the UN, by mid-July, more than 32.8 million tons of grain were taken out of Ukrainian ports.
Russia also makes other claims. They concern the second part of the agreement – on the removal of restrictions on Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilizers. Moscow says that this part of the deal is not being implemented. The day before, the UN confirmed that during the Black Sea Initiative, not a single ship with Russian fertilizers was sent.
Source: Rosbalt
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
