[Regnum] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on July 10 that the UN's efforts had failed to fulfill the Russian part of the grain deal.
“Russia is ready to meet all the needs of its Arab grain partners,” Lavrov said at a press conference following the strategic dialogue between Russia and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), which took place in Moscow.
Answering a question about the possibility of improving the terms of the "grain deal", the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said that it is impossible to improve something that does not exist. The Foreign Minister added that the Russian part of this agreement was not implemented at all in any of its clauses.
As IA Regnum reported , on July 4, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that there were no grounds for further continuation of the "grain deal" expiring on July 17. The department explained that the “grain deal”, the purpose of which is to provide assistance to needy countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, has turned into a purely commercial export of Ukrainian food to Western countries. Thus, out of 32.6 million tons of grain exported from Ukrainian ports since August 1, 2022, 26.2 million tons of grain were sent to states with high and above average income levels. At the same time, the poorest countries received only 862,086 tons.
On June 30, Lavrov assured that Russia would not leave the world's poorest countries without grain: it would provide supplies at its own expense if the "grain deal" was not extended. In any case, the export of Russian fertilizers and foodstuffs continues. The minister added that Russian exports this agricultural year are expected to reach almost 50 million tons.
In an interview with IA Regnum , Associate Professor of the Department of Political Science at the Financial University under the Government, political scientist Evgenia Voiko noted that the “grain deal” is perhaps the only source of export income for Kiev.
The “grain deal” signed in Istanbul since July 22, 2022 has been extended three times: the last time for 60 days was on May 17, 2023.