MOSCOW, July 19. /TASS/. Western countries fully perverted the grain deal's original humanitarian intent, turning it into a profit tool, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday.

"At first, the meaning or the intent of the grain deal had enormous humanitarian significance. The West completely perverted this essence," he said.

"Instead of truly assisting countries in need, [the West] used the grain deal for political blackmail, and, as I previously stated, turned it into a tool for making money for transnational corporations and profiteers on the global grain market," Putin added.

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.