Grain carrier leaving a Ukrainian port. Photo: Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.
On 17 July, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Russia’s suspension of the Black Sea grain agreement, signed in the summer of 2022 to unblock the export of Ukrainian grain.
“The agreements ceased to be in force today. Unfortunately, the Russia part has not been fulfilled so far. As soon as the Russian part of the agreements is fulfilled, Russia will immediately return to implementing the deal,” Russian RBC reported, citing Peskov.
Russian Foreign Ministry states it sees no reason to further Black Sea Grain Initiative
According to RIA news, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia has officially informed Türkiye and Ukraine, as well as the UN secretariat, of its “objections to the extension of the grain deal.”
Prices for wheat started rising following the Russian statement. In particular, Benchmark Chicago wheat futures rose as much as 4.2% after Russia said it wouldn’t extend the Black Sea deal past its Monday expiration date.
As was reported, the Russian side of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul used to unilaterally cease registering vessels submitted by Ukrainian ports for an inspection plan every several days, which caused massive delays and queues of ships.
On 14 July, the President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to extend the Black Sea grain deal.
Related:
- Russia threatens to end grain deal unless Rosselkhozbank is reconnected to SWIFT
- Russia blocking Ukraine’s maritime grain exports again – Infrastructure Ministry
- There will be no security in the Black Sea if Crimea remains occupied, Ukraine’s top strategist says
Tags: Black Sea, grain deal, grain initiative