Black Sea grain deal ‘is terminated’: Kremlin
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Russia's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, states that Russia will return to the agreement when all parties adopt the agreed-upon procedures.
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A truck unloads grain at a grain port in Izmail, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (AP)
The agreements underlying the contentious Black Sea grain deal have been "terminated," according to the Kremlin on Monday morning. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's spokesperson, said the country will return to the agreement as soon as all parties involved take the previously agreed-upon procedures.
Peskov stated at a press conference on Monday, the day the pact expired, that the "Black Sea agreements effectively ceased to be in effect today."
According to Peskov, "The Russian Federation will return to the deal as soon as the Russian prerequisites are met..."The Grain Deal has come to a halt," he said, emphasizing that the other signatories had yet to honor some of the agreement's stipulations regarding Russia.
Moreover, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Maria Zakharova, stated that Moscow has officially notified Turkey, Ukraine, and the UN that it will not renew the agreement.
Ankara regrets Russia's decision on suspension of Grain Deal: Source
Ankara laments Russia's decision to suspend the grain deal and will assist in removing barriers to Russian food exports, a source involved in Black Sea grain initiative negotiations told Sputnik on Monday.
Kremlin's decision was "expected, but we regret it," according to the source, who added that Ankara will continue to work to guarantee that all barriers are removed.
Read next: UN aims to extend grain deal for at least 2 months, expires next week
The attack on the Crimean Bridge and Russia's reluctance to prolong the Black Sea Grain Initiative are unrelated, Peskov said, because Russian President Vladimir Putin's position on the issue was revealed before the incident.
"No. No. These are absolutely unrelated events. You know that President Putin stated the stance before this terrorist attack," Peskov told reporters.
What is the UN-brokered deal?
The UN-brokered deal, signed by Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine on July 22, 2022, was set to expire today after awaiting an extension aimed to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships transporting agriproducts to sail from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
Earlier, international watchdogs have repeatedly warned that the lion's share of the food produce was delivered to the West, while poor countries combined receiving less than one-third of exports.
According to the UN coordinator, developing and impoverished nations received only 10 percent of corn and 40 percent of wheat, while rich countries obtained 90 percent of corn and 60 percent of wheat.
