Moscow has officially ended its participation in the one-year-old Black Sea Grain Initiative, which had allowed Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea despite ongoing hostilities.
“The Black Sea grain deal is no longer in effect,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on July 17, when the terms of the deal officially expired.
“Unfortunately, the part of the agreement that concerns Russia has not yet been fulfilled,” he added. “As a result, it has been terminated.”
The deal was initially brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last summer. Since then, it has allowed Ukraine to export more than 30 million tons of grain—from five Black Sea ports—to international buyers.
Following the announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has sought to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv, said he planned to speak with his Russian counterpart in hopes of salvaging the deal.
“I believe Russian President [Vladimir] Putin wants the continuation of the Black Sea grain deal,” Mr. Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.
Ankara attaches “great importance” to the agreement and continues to engage in “intense diplomatic efforts” to ensure its continuation, Mr. Erdogan added.
According to Anadolu, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan intends to speak to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, by phone to discuss the issue.
Since Russia started its invasion of Ukraine early last year, NATO member Turkey has sought to maintain a degree of neutrality between the warring parties.
Under Mr. Erdogan, Turkey has maintained relatively good relations with Russia, with which it shares extensive trade ties and a lengthy maritime border.
Denys Marchuk, deputy head of Ukraine’s Agrarian Council, the country’s leading agribusiness organization, said Ukrainian grain exports could resume despite Russia’s withdrawal from the deal.
Russian Grievances
Since the grain initiative first took effect, Russia has complained that key parts of the deal–which would let it export its own grain and fertilizers–were not being honored.Russian officials also accuse Kyiv’s Western allies, including the United States and the European Union, of impeding Russian agricultural exports.
Moscow further accuses the West of pressuring banks not to issue loans for the purchase of Russian grain and preventing Russia from importing needed agricultural equipment.
Moscow also demands that Russia’s main state-run agricultural bank be reconnected to the international SWIFT payment system.
Once these grievances are addressed, Mr. Peskov said, “the Russian side will immediately return to the implementation of the agreement.”
Russian officials, including Mr. Putin, also assert that the original purpose of the grain deal—to ensure food security for poorer nations—remains unfulfilled.
According to the Russian foreign ministry, only a tiny fraction of exported Ukrainian grain—less than 5 percent—is reaching low-income countries.
A vast majority, the ministry claims, has ended up going to wealthier nations in Europe and elsewhere.
“The main goal of the deal—namely the supply of grain to countries in need, including on the African continent—has not been implemented,” Mr. Putin told South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 15, according to the Kremlin.
No Link With Crimea Strike: Kremlin
According to the Kremlin, Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the grain deal was unrelated to a drone attack that partially damaged the strategic Kerch Bridge, which links Russia to the Crimean Peninsula.
In the early hours of July 17, the bridge was struck by two waterborne drones, killing two people, according to the Russian authorities.
Moscow has blamed Ukraine for what it describes as a “terrorist attack.”
Kyiv has so far declined to comment on the incident.
Russia annexed the Black Sea region of Crimea in 2014 after holding a controversial referendum.
When asked whether the attack on the bridge had influenced Moscow’s decision to withdraw from the grain initiative, Mr. Peskov said, “These events are absolutely unrelated to each other.”
He also said that Mr. Putin “stated Russia’s position [regarding the grain deal] even before this terrorist attack.”
Last October, the Kerch Bridge was severely damaged by a massive explosion that Moscow also blamed on Ukraine.
Although Kyiv didn’t initially claim responsibility for that attack, it was widely celebrated by Ukrainian officials.
Earlier this month, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, said on Telegram that last year’s attack on the Kerch Bridge had been carried out to “break the logistics of the Russians.”
