US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken (AP)
Dubai – Al Arabiya.net
Posted on: July 18, 2023: 12:00 AM GST Last updated: July 18, 2023: 12:01 AM GST
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Monday that Russia’s decision to halt its participation in the deal to export grain across the Black Sea was “irrational” and called for the agreement to be restored as soon as possible.
He told reporters that Washington is following the situation after an attack that destroyed a land bridge linking Crimea to southern Russia, adding that Ukraine is the one who decides how to wage its war.
In turn, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, “Russia’s decision to resume its effective blockade of Ukrainian ports and prevent these grains from reaching markets will harm people all over the world, and Russia will bear full and sole responsibility for the consequences of this act of military aggression.”
“We are already seeing a rise in global wheat, corn and soybean prices today solely as a result of Russia’s suspension, and we urge the Russian government to immediately reverse its decision,” he added.
Moscow suspended the agreement
The United States said it would continue to work with other countries to ensure the transfer of grain from Ukraine after Russia withdrew from a United Nations-brokered deal to allow Ukraine to export grain across the Black Sea.
John Kirby (AP)
Moscow announced on Monday that the Ukrainian grain export agreement had come to an end, hours after a night attack by Kiev on the Crimean bridge linking Russia to the peninsula it annexed in 2014.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed by Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 under the auspices of Turkey and the United Nations, aims to reduce the risk of famine in the world by ensuring the export of Ukrainian agricultural products despite the war.
Russian threat
Moscow has been threatening for weeks not to extend the agreement, complaining of obstacles to the export of its agricultural products and fertilizers, stressing that the declared goal of the agreement, namely the delivery of grain supplies to poor countries, has not been achieved.
Despite the Kremlin’s announcement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday expressed his confidence in the desire of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for the continuation of the agreement.
This agreement allowed the export of more than 32 billion tons of grain. Late Sunday, data from the “Marine Traffic” website showed that the last cargo ship approved by the parties to the agreement was on its way across the Black Sea from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa to Istanbul.
According to data from the Agreement Coordination Center, Turkey and China are the main beneficiaries of grain shipments, in addition to some developing countries.
The agreement allowed the World Food Program to help countries facing severe food shortages, such as Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen.
While the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, made efforts to save the agreement and renew its deadline. He expressed his support for removing obstacles to Russia’s export of fertilizers and sent a letter to Putin last week in this regard.
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2023-07-17 19:56:54
