Moscow Rules Out Return to Black Sea Grain Agreement

Bangla Press Desk:  Russia sees no grounds for the Black Sea grain deal to resume, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told reporters on Wednesday, as Russia and Ukraine continue to attack each other's grain export facilities.

Turkey and the United Nations helped mediate the so-called Black Sea Grain Initiative which was agreed in July 2022 to allow the safe export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, despite the war.

Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023, complaining that its own food and fertiliser exports faced serious obstacles. Turkey has prepared a new plan for the safe passage of grain via the Black Sea and was contacting both countries in this regard.

"There was a deal ... But a substantial part of it was not implemented. Do you see any change in the West's position? I don't," Grushko told reporters on the sidelines of a forum in the Russian Far East port city of Vladivostok.

Both Russia and Ukraine are major grain exporters and their mutual attacks, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, have contributed to the increase in global wheat prices.

Russia continues to attack Ukraine's Black Sea export facilities and those along the Danube River, damaging infrastructure and injuring three in Odesa, Ukraine's largest seaport, on Wednesday in a fresh strike, a city official said.

Tensions with Germany

The German government said on Tuesday that it had concluded that Russia was responsible for an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month and ordered a series of measures in response, including a consulate closure in Bonn.

Russian President Vladimir Putin the same day accused Germany of planting the evidence in order to blame Moscow for the incident. Grushko said on Wednesday Russia will retaliate to the Bonn consulate closure "very soon".