Russia announced the suspension of a Black Sea grain export deal

On July 17, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov announced in Moscow that the Black Sea grain Initiative agreed between Russia and Ukraine was no longer valid. Experts say a failure to extend the agreement would lead to a spike in food prices. The United Nations says 32.9 metric tons of food products have been exported to 45 countries since the food export agreement began in August 2022.

Ukraine is one of the world’s largest grain exporters, and on July 22, under the coordination of the United Nations and Turkey, representatives of Russia and Ukraine signed the Black Sea Grains Initiative in Istanbul, Turkey, paving the way for the return of Ukrainian grain and Russian grain and fertilizer to international markets. In May, Russia agreed to extend the deal for 60 days, which expires on July 17. Before the deal was scheduled to expire, Russia had complained that it was not benefiting enough from the deal.

One of Russia’s main demands was to restore its agricultural bank to the Society for Worldwide Banking Financial Telecommunication. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “Unfortunately, the provisions of the Black Sea agreement on the Russian side have not been implemented so far, so the agreement has been terminated.”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on Twitter: “I strongly condemn Russia’s selfish move to end the Black Sea Grains Initiative despite the efforts of the UN and Turkey, where the EU is working to ensure food security for the world’s vulnerable.”

At the same time, the German government also called on Russia to renew the agreement on food shipments to the Black Sea, and a spokesman for the German federal government said the dispute should not be transferred to the world’s poorest people. Germany also called for Ukraine to be allowed to export grain on a long-term basis, rather than signing a short-term agreement on grain exports.

In addition, the controversy over the Black Sea grain export deal came as Russia disclosed that a Ukrainian attack on a bridge connecting Russia’s Krasnodar Territory with the Crimean Peninsula on the 17th had killed a civilian couple and their child, damaged the bridge’s road bridge and disrupted traffic.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 in a move not recognized by the international community, but the bridge was a vital logistical route for Russian troops who invaded Ukraine, and the Russian authorities said the attack damaged a section of the bridge near Crimea, but left its piers intact. The bridge was also hit by an explosion in October that Russia blamed on Ukraine at the time.

However, in announcing the suspension of the Black Sea grain export agreement, Peskov said that Russia’s suspension of the Black Sea grain export agreement had nothing to do with the attack on the Crimean Bridge. He denied that this was a retaliatory measure by the Russian side, “as soon as the Russian part of the content is implemented, the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of the agreement.”