One month after the expiry of the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain, Vladimir Putin in front of his senior military officials said: “We are considering withdrawing from this wheat deal. Many conditions that should have been applied have not been met.". The announcement just after placing his signature on the decree that incorporates the Sea of Azov to Russian territory, following the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Donetsk.
The grain deal guarantees a safe corridor for ships carrying grain and cereals, through a Control Center (JCC) in Istanbul, staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials. In addition to managing the flows of cargo ships, the JCC controls the ships returning to Ukraine to prevent arms and ammunition from being stored in the holds.
Putin does not want to renew the agreement, claiming he was deceived due to the failure to implement the second part of the agreement which provides for the facilitation of exports of food and fertilizers thanks to the restoration of access to the Swift payment system for the Russian Agricultural Bank Rosselkhozbank , the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, as well as the restarting of the Togliatti-Odessa gas pipeline for the deliveries of ammonia, an essential element for fertilisers.
Putin also accuses Kiev of using stretches of sea used by grain cargoes to attack the Russian fleet with drones. The agreement stipulated that Ukrainian grain should go primarily to Africa and Latin America. According to Putin, the wheat would not go to the poor countries of the world. Putin probably wants to use the grain lever as a geopolitical weapon to slow down Kiev's counter-offensive which, although very slow, is nonetheless advancing through the areas taken by the Russians.
The Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres expressed his personal concern about Moscow's position on the export of Ukrainian grain and cereals.
The resentment of the White House"The world deserves assurance that this grain and food export corridor stands on a sustainable footing and reaches global markets so the world can be fed".
Kiev accuses Moscow of staging a heinous blackmail, insisting that the Togliatti-Odessa gas pipeline should not be put back into operation. Kiev's request is motivated by the fact that Moscow can use the restoration of the gas pipeline to ask for technical truces in order to reinforce the military forces at the front and counter the Ukrainian counter-offensive.
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