MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed the assertions about the global importance of Ukrainian grain as speculative and false.

"Russia has a 20% share of the global wheat market, while Ukraine has less than 5%. These numbers speak for themselves," he said.

Putin emphasized that "it is Russia that makes a colossal contribution to global food security. And any claims that only Ukrainian grain feeds the hungry all over the world are speculative and false," he added.

He also added that Russia is prepared to replace Ukrainian grain on the global market, both free and commercial volumes. "I want to assure you that our country is capable of replacing Ukrainian grain both commercially and for free, especially since we expect another record-breaking harvest this year," he said.

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.