There appears to be no progress in removing barriers to exports grain and its fertilizers Russia that rise because of the “strategy sanctionsWest, a senior Russian diplomat in Washington said today, just weeks before the expiration of an agreement guaranteeing grain exports from Ukraine.

The Initiative for the Safe Export of Grain and Food from Ukrainian Ports, or the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022, was renewed for the second time on March 19.

This made it possible to safely export Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports.

If the obstacles complained about by Russia are not removed, the agreement will expire on May 18. Moscow insists on blaming the West for not allowing its end of the deal to be honored.

“So far, there has been no progress in resolving financial and logistical problems with the provision of Russian grain and fertilizers,” Andrey Ledenev, an employee of the Russian Embassy in the United States, said via the Telegram platform. In addition, he added, “the import of agricultural machinery to Russia remains difficult.”

Mr. Ledenev called the impasse a direct consequence of the “sanctions strategy” of the US and its partners towards Moscow, which includes restrictions on the processing of payments through banks, supplies, insurance, etc.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters}