Russian demands under Ukraine grain deal remain unfulfilled
ALBAWABA – The clock is ticking on the Ukraine grain deal that allows Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea, which expires Monday midnight, Istanbul time, as Russia has announced Monday that the deal is done and will not be extended.
Unless Kyiv's Western allies meet Moscow's demands, the deal will not be renewed, an official Russian statement said, while the German government urged Russia to extend the deal.
"We continue to call on Russia to allow a further extension of the grain deal," government spokeswoman Christiane Hoffmann told reporters Monday.
"The conflict should not be carried out on the backs of the poorest on this planet," he said.
The deal was first brokered by Turkey and the United Nations (U.N.) in July 2022. But it is set to expire Monday at 9 p.m. GMT, news agencies reported.
The Kremlin announced Monday that the initiative expires today and that it has effectively expired for Russia, according to Al-Jazeera.
However, Russia will immediately resume the grain export agreement once its demands are met, the Kremlin statement reaffirmed.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the wake of the Kremlin's statements, reiterated that Putin is in fact in favor of renewing the deal, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Meanwhile, fighting is intensifying on Ukraine’s eastern frontline, Kyiv reported Sunday, and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the Ukrainian counteroffensive a failure.
On Friday, Erdogan was optimistic about the prospects of the deal being renewed again, AFP said.
But so far, no news has come out on talks in Istanbul, where Turkish and UN officials are trying to persuade Russia to agree to another extension of the deal, the news agency reported.
Throughout the year since July 2022, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has enabled the export in cargo of more than 32 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain.
But that traffic has come to a halt because of Russia's refusal so far to renew the deal.
The Russian government claimed that none of its demands under the deal were fulfilled, and therefore has no interest in renewing the extension.
The last cargo ship cleared by the signatories – Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the UN – was the Turkish bulk carrier TQ Samsun. It was headed across the Black Sea from the Ukrainian port of Odesa towards Istanbul, the Marine Traffic website showed late Sunday, as reported by AFP.
Russian objections to renewing Ukraine grain deal
"The main goal of the deal, namely the supply of grain to countries in need, including on the African continent, has not been implemented," Putin told South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa Saturday.
Concerns about real beneficiaries of the deal
The deal has helped the World Food Programme bring relief to countries facing critical food shortages, including Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen, as reported by AFP.
But data from the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) that oversees the agreement shows China and Turkey are the main beneficiaries of the grain shipments, as well as developed economies.
This was not the main objective of the deal. When Russia first agreed to the initiative, the main purpose was to help mitigate disruptions to supply chains conveying grains to underdeveloped markets and countries in need.
Moreover, in addition to Putin’s claim that the grains are not being supplied to their intended markets, there are a number of Russian demands that have not been met.
Western sanctions on Russia have hindered the fulfilment of Russia’s demands.
Access to global markets for Russia
First among the reportedly unmet Russian demands, according to Russia Today (RT), is access to Russian grains and fertilizers to global markets.
Russia’s ammonia pipeline to Europe
Second is Russia’s demand that Ukraine releases the Russian ammonia pipeline to Europe. Ukrainian forces blew up the pipeline after Russia suspended the registration of Ukrainian ships in seaports, demanding that Ukraine releases the pipeline.
Ukraine’s grain deal is effectively over
Traffic along the approved routes through the Black Sea has been dwindling since June.
"The applications have not been approved by all parties," said a statement from the JCC that oversees the agreement. "No new ships have been approved to participate since 27 June."
This explains why UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been working hard to secure an extension for the deal. He supports removing hurdles to Russia exporting its fertilisers and sent Putin a letter on the subject last Tuesday.
Fierce fighting east of Kyiv
Kyiv has admitted that its highly anticipated counteroffensive on the eastern front has encountered fierce resistance, AFP confirmed.
On Friday Ukraine said it had advanced nearly two kilometres around the southern city of Melitopol last week, which was occupied by Russia at the beginning of the war.
But on Sunday, Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar said: "The situation has somewhat intensified in the east”.
"For two days in a row, the enemy has been actively attacking the Kupiansk sector in the Kharkiv region. We are on the defence," Malyar wrote on Telegram.
She nevertheless said Ukrainian forces were "gradually moving forward" near the eastern city of Bakhmut, which was seized by Russian forces in May.
Ukraine's counteroffensive, launched in June with the help of heavy weapons supplied by Western countries, has so far made slow progress. Advancing into territory that the Russian forces have had time to fortify and protect with minefields has proven challenging, news reports have confirmed.
In a televised interview broadcast on Sunday, Putin said: "All enemy attempts to break through our defences... have not succeeded since the offensive began. The enemy is not successful."
