The agreement on the export of Ukrainian cereals which expires tonight is “de facto finished”, the Kremlin said on Monday. Before specifying that Russia will be ready to return to it “immediately” when its conditions are met. What are we talking about ?
A non-extended agreement. Russia officially notified, Monday, July 17, its refusal to renew the agreement which allows the export of Ukrainian cereals via the Black Sea. Signed in July 2022, this agreement is due to expire on Monday at 11 p.m. Paris time, after having already been renewed in March, then last May.
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This agreement enabled the transport of nearly 33 million tonnes of grain destined for world markets. The prices may “climb” in France for lack of an extension, according to the Minister of Agriculture on franceinfo, who “hope that the parties will find an agreement”. In a press release, the Kremlin specifies on Monday July 17 that this agreement is “de facto finished“, affirmed Monday the Kremlin, assuring that Russia “will immediately return to the implementation of this agreement” when the part concerning Russia will be completed, explains Dimitri Peskov, spokesman for the Kremlin.
Statements that come hours after a Ukrainian naval drone attack hit the crucial bridge linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, killing two civilians. The Kremlin spokesman, however, assured that the decision not to renew the agreement and the attack were not “related“, explaining that”even before this attack, this was the position of President Putin“.
Russian export requirements
Because this agreement does not only concern production in Ukraine, nicknamed the “grain basket” of Europe: Moscow also wants to be able to export its grain and its fertilizers. Despite the assurances given by the United Nations and Turkey, this practice has never been put into practice so far.
This arouses the irritation of the Kremlin, and Vladimir Putin in particular, who laid down his conditions very clearly last week: “We can suspend our commitments in this agreement if everyone repeats once again that all the elements that they promised us will be implemented. But if they deliver, then immediately we will extend this agreement once again. “. Clearly, Russia demands the prior removal of obstacles to the export of Russian food products and fertilizers. And also the reintegration into the Swift interbank settlement system of Rosselkhozbank, the Russian agricultural bank.
This does not prevent Vladimir Putin from criticizing the use made of Ukrainian cereals: “There are 3% who went to poor countriessays the Russian president. Everything else was for a well-fed and prosperous Europe. But many European countries began to refuse Ukrainian grain. They are the ones who started to discriminate against Ukrainian grain and not us.” A way for Russia to clear customs in the event of non-renewal of the agreement, even if the UN specified for its part that the poorest countries had received 10% of the corn and 40% of the Ukrainian wheat.