ANKARA, July 13. /TASS/. Russia’s demands within the framework of the grain deal are unlikely to be met, a source in Ankara’s political circles told TASS.

"I don’t think Russia’s requirements in this context will be met. Consequently, Russia will be independently engaged in the export of its products. Whereas the problem of delivering Ukrainian grain to global markets will become solely Ukraine’s problem," he said. The source also noted that after the NATO summit when Turkey agreed to approve Sweden’s application and held a number of talks with Western leaders, Ankara’s ability to actively facilitate the search for compromises within the deal fell sharply.

Another source specializing in issues of global food logistics told TASS that with the possibility of delivering Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea corridor removed Kiev will find itself in a very complicated situation. "Proposals to use rivers and motor transport for supplying grain to Europe were voiced. However, from the viewpoint of volumes such an option cannot be compared with the sea route. It will hardly be possible to sell the required volumes of grain to free up elevators in this way," he explained.

On July 22, 2022, a package of documents on the supply of food and fertilizers to the international market was signed in Istanbul. Initially, the agreements were concluded for 120 days, in November of last year they were extended for the same period. On March 18, 2023, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal, until July 17, warning that this would be enough time to evaluate the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN.

The Russian Foreign Ministry stressed earlier that only the Black Sea initiative was being implemented out of the whole package of agreements, while nothing had been done on the memorandum between Russia and the UN. Minister Sergey Lavrov said on June 30 he saw no point in extending the agreements at the moment.