MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the West of creating obstacles to Russia's free deliveries of fertilizers to the poorest countries.
"None of the conditions of this [grain] deal have been met, including the lifting of sanctions on Russian grain and fertilizer exports to global markets. Furthermore, even the free deliveries of mineral fertilizers by us to the poorest countries are being hampered," he said at a meeting with the government.
According to him, "out of 262,000 tons of products blocked in European ports, only two batches were sent - 20,000 tons to Malawi and 34,000 tons to Kenya." "All this despite the fact that we are talking about a purely humanitarian initiative, to which no sanctions should apply in general," the Russian leader stressed.
The grain deal was concluded on July 22, 2022, in Istanbul. The first part of the agreements for a period of 120 days with the possibility of automatic extension was signed by the UN and Turkey separately with Russia and Ukraine. It concerned the export of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. The second part for a period of three years was signed by the UN and Russia - this memorandum dealt with the removal of restrictions on exports of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers. The agreement was later extended three times, the last two times for 60 days. At the same time, Moscow repeatedly stated that the Russian part of the deal, which has not been implemented, should also be fulfilled.