UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The United States has pledged to support Russia’s free export of food if a revised deal allows for the safe export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea, said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday.
Last month, Russia withdrew from the July 2022 deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, which aimed to alleviate a global food crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both Ukraine and Russia are major exporters of grain.
Blinken stated, “If the agreement is reinstated, we will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure that everyone can export their food products to include Russia, freely and safely.” He added, “We want to see that food on world markets. We want everyone to benefit from the lower prices.” Blinken made these comments after chairing a U.N. Security Council meeting on food insecurity caused by conflicts.
Many countries expressed disappointment at Russia’s withdrawal from the deal and urged them to reconsider.
Another agreement was reached in July 2022, in addition to the Black Sea deal, wherein U.N. officials agreed to assist in facilitating Russia’s food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets.
Although Russian food and fertilizer exports are not subject to Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow claims that restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance have hindered shipments.
During the Security Council meeting, Russia’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador, Dmitry Polyanskiy, accused Western countries of exhibiting an “arrogant unwillingness” to fulfill the U.N. pact with Moscow. He emphasized that Russia holds a larger share of the global wheat market compared to Ukraine and is a key exporter of fertilizer.
“Western countries need to focus on ensuring that Russian grain and fertilizers can reach countries in need without hindrance,” Polyanskiy stated.
Blinken informed reporters that Russia’s food exports have exceeded pre-invasion levels. He said, “To the extent that there have been any problems with things like shipping and insurance, we have taken steps throughout the Black Sea Grain initiative to work through them and address them.” Blinken also mentioned that comfort letters were written to banks to assure them that processing transactions related to Russian exports would not violate sanctions.
JPMorgan, a U.S. bank, has processed some payments for Russian grain exports with reassurances from the United States.
The United Nations argues that the Black Sea deal benefitted everyone by reducing prices by 23% from the record high following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. After Russia withdrew from the deal, it began targeting Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure along the Black Sea and Danube River, causing global grain prices to soar. Moscow has stated that it may rejoin the Black Sea agreement if its demands for improved grain and fertilizer exports are met.
Polyanskiy reiterated, “If all the problems that have been publicly raised by us…are eliminated, we will be ready to once again take part in the Black Sea initiative.”
According to a letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday, the European Union has warned developing countries that Russia’s offering of cheap grain aims to create new dependencies and exacerbate global food insecurity.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently informed African leaders about Russia’s preparedness to replace Ukrainian grain exports to Africa commercially and as aid, emphasizing Moscow’s critical role in global food security.
Polyanskiy dismissed the EU’s warning as “perverted logic,” stating that “Russia has never considered Africa, Asia, or Latin America as a space for extracting profits.”
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Daphne Psaledakis, Humeyra Pamuk and Katharine Jackson; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Susan Heavey)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
