Moscow has expressed its concerns at the United Nations about the Black Sea grain export agreement and is ready to refuse to extend the agreement next month if its demands are not met, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva told United on Thursday.

The agreement concluded by the UN and Turkey in July opened the way for Ukraine to resume grain exports through its Black Sea ports, which have been closed since the beginning of the Russian invasion of this country, reminds Agerpres. Moscow received guarantees for its own export of grain and fertilizers.

The agreement averted a global food crisis: Russia and Ukraine are the two largest exporters of grain in the world, and Russia is the number one exporter of fertilizers. But Moscow has repeatedly complained about how the deal is being implemented, saying it still faces difficulties selling its fertilizer and food.

In an interview with Reuters, Gennady Gatilov, Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said Moscow sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday containing a list of complaints. On Sunday, UN officials are due to go to Moscow to discuss the extension of the agreement.

“If we see that nothing is happening on the Russian side of the agreement – the export of Russian grain and fertilizers – then, sorry, we will have to look at it differently,” said the Russian diplomat.

He declined to provide Reuters with a copy of the letter. A UN spokesman did not respond to a British press agency request for comment on the move.

When asked if Russia might refuse to support the extension of the grain export agreement because of these concerns, Gatilov replied: “There is a possibility… We are not against grain supplies, but this agreement must be put on an equal, fair and equal footing. application by all parties”.

Gatilov, a career diplomat who served as deputy foreign minister before taking the post in Geneva, said he sees prospects for a settlement in Ukraine’s eight-month war fading. He mentioned what he called “terrorist acts” such as the explosion on the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, with Russian territory.

“All this makes it difficult to find a political solution,” he said.

Washington has called Russia “disingenuous” in its claims of openness to talks on the future of the war as it continues to strike Ukrainian cities.

Answering a question about the prospect of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his American colleague Joe Biden, Gatilov said that it is unrealistic, given the level of American military support for Ukraine. “This makes the US part of the conflict,” said the Russian ambassador, quoted by Reuters.

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