Russia announced: the termination of the "Black Sea grain agreement"! Touching more than 80 countries and affecting the "lifeline" of 300 million people
Per editor: Li Zedong
Xinhua News Agency news, according to TASS news agency reported on July 17, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on the same day that Russia stopped implementing the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports.
According to CCTV news earlier, on the 17th local time, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said in an interview with RIA Novosti that Russia has officially notified Turkey and Ukraine and the United Nations Secretariat that Russia opposes the extension of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said on the same day that the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports has actually stopped. Under the terms of the previous extension, the agreement will expire on July 17.
According to China News Network, Peskov told reporters: "The Black Sea agreement has actually expired today. The President of Russia has long said that it will expire on July 17. It is a pity that the part of these Black Sea agreements that are relevant to Russia has not been fulfilled to this day, and therefore, it (the grain agreement) is no longer in force. ”
According to global network reports, on the 16th local time, the last grain ship approved under the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports slowly sailed out from the port of Odessa. With the agreement due to expire on July 17, whether the current agreement can be extended is attracting international attention.
Putin:
Western countries "deceived Russia"
Previously, the Russian side has repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of the Russian-related part of the agreement. On June 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia was considering withdrawing from the agreement and accused Western countries of "deceiving Russia."
Image source: Visual China - VCG111415280390
It is understood that in July 2022, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations jointly signed an agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports, which has been renewed several times before.
Based on the initial consultations, the parties agreed to establish a joint coordination center to provide security for the export of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products through the Black Sea, as well as the access of Russian grain and fertilizers to international markets.
However, when the agreement was put into practice, Russia repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the implementation of some of the Russia-related parts of the agreement, believing that Western sanctions still made it difficult for Russia to export grain and fertilizers.
Image source: Visual China - VCG31446204130
Just before the agreement is about to expire, Putin said in a telephone conversation with South African President Ramaphosa on the 15th that the obligation to lift obstacles to Russian food and fertilizer exports stipulated in the relevant memorandum between Russia and the United Nations has not yet been fulfilled.
Putin stressed that the main goal of this agreement, namely the supply of food to countries in need, including the African continent, has not yet been achieved.
Image source: Visual China - VCG111408327535
According to a previous report by Reference News Network, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the agreement allowed Ukrainian grain to be shipped to countries that are not short of food, but did not help African, Asian and Latin American countries that needed it most.
Five poor countries (Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia) received only 2.6 percent of their grain shipped by black sea, while the export situation of Russian grain and fertilizers "continues to deteriorate," the statement said.
It is understood that Russia and Ukraine are the two major agricultural producers in the world and are also major players in the wheat, barley, corn, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed and sunflower oil markets.
Touching more than 80 countries and affecting the "lifeline" of 300 million people
Wales, head of the Global Food and Water Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as "a war waged by one agricultural producer against another," which is affecting global food and fertilizer prices.
The Associated Press has said that after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Ukraine's food supply, known as the "world's granary", was interrupted, which aggravated the global food crisis and led to a surge in global food prices. The agreement on the export of agricultural products from Black Sea ports guarantees that ships entering and leaving Ukrainian ports will not be attacked. The agreement has been hailed as a beacon of hope in the war.
The International Rescue Committee has reportedly called the agreement a "lifeline" for 79 countries and 349 million people on the frontlines of food insecurity.
In addition, the Russian Satellite News Agency reported that if the agreement is not extended, the Ukrainian side will also suffer huge economic losses. According to data from the United Nations, the Ministry of Agriculture and customs, Ukraine exported $9.8 billion worth of grain during the implementation of the grain agreement, and if the agreement breaks down, Ukraine will lose $500 million a month.
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