Russia does not see any real grounds for the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
"Therefore, I don’t see what arguments those who would like to continue this Black Sea initiative have, because, as I said, it has long become commercial in terms of Ukrainian grain," Lavrov told reporters.
The Russian diplomat pointed out that the world's poorest countries received just little bit less than 2.5% of the grain under the Black Sea grain deal.
The minister also noted that the export of Russian fertilizers and food continues, despite all the obstacles from the West, which Moscow has managed to bypass.
"The export of our fertilizers and food continues, we ensure the corresponding operations, bypassing both geographical routes and other technological obstacles put up by the West," he said.
Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations reached an agreement on July 22, 2022, to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships carrying food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. On May 18, 2023, Russia extended the deal for 60 days, until July 17.
The deal is an integral part of a package agreement. The second part - the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years - envisions the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT, the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and a number of other measures.
Moscow has repeatedly complained that this part of the package agreement has not yet been implemented. Nevertheless, the Russian side extended the agreement several times, including for 120 days in November 2022, for 60 days in March, and finally for another 60 days on May 18.