“The United Nations will do everything in its power to preserve the agreement as it is and ensure its continuity,” said Jens Larke, spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
He indicated that “consultations … with all parties and at all levels are continuing,” without specifying what will happen when the agreement expires on March 18, after it was extended for 120 days in the fall.
In response to a torrent of questions from journalists in Geneva, he said, “We’ll see on Saturday what happens.”
On Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin announced, after talks with United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths and Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Rebecca Grynspan in Geneva, that Moscow “does not oppose a new extension of the Black Sea Initiative after its second extension expired on 18 March, but only for 60 days.
However, Kiev considered that extending the agreement for a period of 60 days “contradicts” what was agreed upon.
And Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov wrote in a tweet on Monday that “the agreement on the Black Sea grain initiative provides for an extension of at least 120 days, and Russia’s position to extend it for only 60 days contradicts the document signed by Turkey and the United Nations.”
He explained that Ukraine is waiting for the “official position” of the United Nations and Turkey as “guarantors” of the agreement.
In a statement issued Monday evening, the United Nations confirmed that it had “taken note” of the Russian position.
“Wall erected by the West”
Moscow is not satisfied with the results of the second agreement, which was concluded in parallel last summer with the United Nations, and aimed at removing obstacles to its grain exports, especially fertilizers.
Although these products are not affected by the sanctions imposed by Kiev’s allies to force Moscow to stop invading Ukraine, these financial measures have had the indirect effect of deterring middlemen who fear retaliation in the United States and Europe.
On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified Moscow’s position.
“It is clear that in general… the second part of the agreement that concerns us has not yet been implemented… We appreciate the efforts of the United Nations and the Secretary-General personally. But Mr. (Antonio) Guterres has not succeeded in breaching the wall that the West has erected as a group,” he said.
The main sticking points for Moscow, according to Vershinin, include “bank payments, transport logistics, guarantees, ending the freeze on financial activities, and the supply of ammonia through the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline.”
The Ukrainian grain export agreement contributed to alleviating the severity of the global food crisis after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 caused the suspension of Ukrainian grain shipments across the Black Sea due to the blockade of warships until an agreement was concluded on July 22 to find a safe passage for their export.
In mid-November, the agreement was extended for four months, until March 18.
