MOSCOW, June 13. /TASS/. Russia is considering withdrawing from the grain deal, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with military reporters on Tuesday.
He drew attention to the fact that most of the Ukrainian grain, contrary to the agreements, goes to quite prosperous countries of the European Union. "We understand this. We deliberately agreed to it (grain deal - TASS) in order to support developing countries - our friends, and in order to lift sanctions on our agricultural sector. We were deceived once again," he said.
Moreover, he continued, almost no Ukrainian grain reaches African countries. "Therefore, we are now thinking about withdrawing from this so-called grain deal. Moreover, the vessel corridors are constantly used by the enemy to launch naval drones," Putin said.
At the same time, Russia is ready to supply the volume of grain that now comes from Ukraine free of charge to the poorest countries, in the event of its withdrawal from the grain deal, he added.
"As for the grain deal, we are considering ending our participation in it. But the volume of grain that the poorest countries received, which is a little over 3%, we will be ready to deliver to them free of charge," Putin said.