A farmer harvests grain in Stavropol, Russia on March 16./Denis Abramov/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
2023.07.25 Tue posted at 07:37 JST
(CNN) Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia pulled out of a Black Sea grain export deal aimed at stabilizing global food prices and helping developing countries because of a “failure” to ship grain.
An agreement on grain exports was signed a year ago. The deal allowed Ukraine to circumvent Russia’s blockade of Black Sea ports and export grain to global markets through a safe route to Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait.
Before arriving in Ukraine, the vessel was inspected by Russian, Ukrainian and Turkish officials to ensure it was not smuggling weapons into Ukraine.
After withdrawing from the pact, Russia has continued to attack Odesa, an important grain export port city in Ukraine.
In an op-ed published on the Kremlin’s website ahead of the Russia-Africa summit this week, Mr Putin argued that Russia could make up for the shortage of Ukrainian grain.
“With another record harvest expected this year, I want to assure you that Russia can be a commercial and free alternative to Ukrainian grain,” Putin said.
“Despite the sanctions, Russia will continue to vigorously supply grain, food and fertilizers to Africa,” Putin said.
Mr Putin said the grain export deal was used to enrich big US and European companies. He said barriers had been erected to Russia’s efforts to supply fertilizers to countries in need, and that such efforts should be exempt from any sanctions.
“Given all these facts, the continuation of the Grain Agreement no longer makes sense, as it has failed to fulfill its original humanitarian purpose,” Putin concluded.
Ukraine accounts for 10% of the world’s wheat market, according to the European Commission. It accounts for 15% of the corn market and 13% of the barley market.
Before Russia’s withdrawal, Ukrainian ports exported about 33 million tonnes of food through the deal, according to the United Nations.
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2023-07-24 22:37:00
