On Friday, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the 4 parties involved in the Black Sea Grains Initiative could not reach an agreement on issuing permits for new vessels for the transport of Ukrainian grain.
At the same time, according to Khan, daily inspections of previously authorized vessels continue.
Licensing is the basis for uninterrupted grain supply to Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
On April 25, UN Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a letter with proposals to extend the Ukrainian grain deal to Moscow, Kiev and Ankara, in which he outlined an action plan to “improve , extend and broaden” the agreement. Guterres personally discussed the plan with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov while in New York.
Previously, the grain deal was extended for the second time on March 19, 2023. But instead of extending it for 120 days, Russia insisted on a shorter period of 60 days, speaking of obstacles to its own grain exports.
In April, Moscow said that for Russia to extend the deal after May 18, a number of conditions had to be met. Among them, the Russian Foreign Ministry mentioned permission to reconnect Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT payment system. Moscow is also demanding the resumption of exports of its agricultural machinery, spare parts and related services.
There are no special sanctions imposed on Russian exports of foodstuffs and fertilizers. All restrictions are linked to secondary sanctions imposed on shipping and insurance companies, as well as banks.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed on July 22, 2022 in Istanbul to promote the unimpeded export of food and fertilizers from Ukraine across the Black Sea. After the Russian invasion in February 2022, Ukrainian ports were blocked by Russia. The export of Ukrainian grain is vital for global food security.
In order to monitor the implementation of the agreements, a joint coordination center has been established in Istanbul. The initiative was a response to the sharp rise in grain and fertilizer prices around the world after the start of the war in Ukraine. Immediately after the start of the implementation of the concluded agreements, prices began to fall, and a year later they fell by about 18%.
Under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, since August 2022, about 25 million tons of grain and other food products have been exported from Ukrainian ports.
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