Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as he invited South African President Cyril Ramaphosa to join what he called a humanitarian initiative to export Ukrainian grain.
Zelenskiy said in his evening address on July 13 that a continuation of the initiative, which is set to expire on July 17, was necessary.
"It is very important that there are no threats to food security anywhere in the world. And Russia must clearly realize that anyone who increases the threat of famine, particularly in critical regions of Africa, is terrorizing the whole world with hunger," he said.
Zelenskiy said he spoke with Ramaphosa on July 13 and that they both agreed it was "vital" to extend the Black Sea deal.
The deal allows the safe export of grain and fertilizers from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports to help alleviate a global food crisis worsened by Moscow's invasion and blockade of the ports. It was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last year and has been extended multiple times. Moscow has again threatened to walk away from the deal, saying its demands have not been met.
The European Commission is helping the UN and Turkey try to extend the deal and is open to "explore all solutions," a European Union spokesperson said on July 13.
The EU is considering allowing a subsidiary of the Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to use the international payment network SWIFT to allow for grain and fertilizer transactions, sources familiar with discussions told Reuters on July 12.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow allow the Black Sea grain deal to continue for several months to give the EU time to connect a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT, two of those sources told Reuters.
During a visit to Brussels on July 13, Guterres told reporters that he had not yet received a response from Russia. He said his letter to Putin contained "concrete proposals that I hope can allow us to find a positive way forward."
According to TASS, Putin said he had not seen the letter from Guterres but said Russia was in contact with UN officials.
"We are thinking about how to proceed, there are still a few days," Putin said in an interview with state television.
He said there was a possibility of suspending Russia's participation in the agreement until the promises made to Moscow under the deal were realized.
Putin said that "not one" of Moscow's conditions for the deal to function had been met.
A Kremlin spokesman later said that Russia had not made a final decision on whether to exit the grain deal.
Moscow has insisted from the start that in exchange for its cooperation it wants obstacles to exports of Russia's own food and fertilizer lifted. While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance have amounted to a barrier to shipments.
Guterres said the UN's partnership with the EU on this and other issues was essential to "rebuilding trust with the developing world...and we don't have a moment to lose."
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who met with Guterres in Brussels, said, "The ball is in President Putin's court" on whether to extend the deal.
Source: Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty