VLADIVOSTOK, September 11. /TASS/. The implementation of the Russia part of the grain deal is a necessary condition for its resumption, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
According to the Kremlin spokesman, despite the illegal sanctions against suppliers, Russia continues to deliver large amounts of grain to international markets and implement a number of programs to supply grain to the poorest countries in Africa free of charge.
"The plan to process one million tons of grain in Turkey with Qatar’s participation is in the pipeline. Russia is sticking to its responsible position but in order to continue the deal, it will be necessary to give Russia its due," he said in an interview with RBC.
"It is impossible to go on implementing the deal endlessly if one of its parts is not realized," he stressed. "Indeed, President [of Russia Vladimir] Putin demonstrated his good will several times, being guided first of all by Russia’s responsible position as a guarantor of global food security. But this cannot go on forever," Peskov said.
On July 17, Russia refused to continue its participation in the grain deal, which was reached a year ago to ensure the safe export of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. The deal also provided for creating conditions for exporting crops and fertilizers from Russia. Moscow explained its withdrawal from the deal by the non-implementation of the part of the agreement related to the export of Russian products to the global market.
Apart from that, Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly pointed to the fact that most of the grain from Ukraine had been shipped to European countries whereas under the deal, it was to go to the poorest countries. Nevertheless, Moscow said that it was ready to resume its participation in the deal only when all obligations concerning Russia were implemented.