President Vladimir Putin said Monday that Russia is suspending but “not ending” its involvement in vital Black Sea grain exports with Ukraine, CNN reported.

Russia’s decision was made after “creating a threat” to the humanitarian corridor, Putin said at a press conference after a meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

Russia announced on Saturday that it was suspending its participation in a UN-brokered deal that is seen as crucial to solving global food shortages.

Moscow said it was pulling out of the deal after accusing Ukraine of a drone attack on Crimea on Saturday. Kyiv accused Russia of inventing “fictitious terrorist attacks” and using the agreement as “blackmail”.

“The whole process of exporting grain from the territory of Ukraine was organized under the pretext of ensuring the interests of the poorest countries. And we did it precisely in the interests of the poorest countries,” Putin said.

Continuing to implement a Ukrainian grain deal without Russia, which has suspended its participation, will be “dangerous” and “difficult”, the Kremlin warned on Monday, as grain ships continued to leave Ukraine.

“Considering the fact that Russia is talking about the impossibility of ensuring the safety of shipping in these areas, it is difficult to implement such an agreement,” Kremlin press secretary Dmytro Peskov said in response to a question about the possibility of continuing the agreement without Russia.

“And this is taking another, much riskier, more dangerous turn,” he threatened.

He declined to answer questions about what would have to happen from Russia’s point of view for the deal to be reinstated.

On Monday, traffic was resumed in the Black Sea along the humanitarian sea corridor, which allows the export of Ukrainian grain, despite Russia’s temporary withdrawal from the international agreement announced on Friday.

At least six cargo ships loaded with grain, including the Ikaria Angel chartered by the World Food Program and bound for Djibouti with 30,000 tonnes of wheat on board, have entered the humanitarian sea corridor to the Bosphorus and Turkey, the Marine Traffic website reported. .