By Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0
Russia and the United States are set to engage in discussions regarding the potential revival of an agreement aimed at ensuring the safety of merchant shipping in the Black Sea, as announced by the Kremlin on Monday. The Kremlin emphasized that several crucial elements of a previous accord on this matter were not executed.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov indicated that the “Black Sea Initiative,” often referred to as the grain deal, would be a topic of conversation during meetings in Saudi Arabia between Russian and U.S. officials on Monday.
Peskov mentioned that U.S. President Donald Trump had suggested revisiting the Black Sea agreement, to which President Putin consented. “This primarily concerns navigation safety,” Peskov stated when asked about the specifics of the Black Sea deal. “However, it is important to recall that in its earlier form, a significant portion of the obligations owed to our country were not met last time. Consequently, this will also be a point of discussion today.
Turkey and the United Nations played a crucial role in facilitating the Black Sea Grain Initiative, an agreement established in July 2022 that enabled the secure export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea, despite the ongoing conflict.
In 2023, Russia exited the agreement, citing significant challenges to its own food and fertilizer exports, although it is not currently experiencing major difficulties in transporting its grain via the Black Sea.
To persuade Russia to participate in the Black Sea initiative, a three-year memorandum of understanding was established in July 2022, wherein U.N. officials committed to assisting Russia in accessing foreign markets for its food and fertilizer exports.
Although Russian food and fertilizer exports are not impacted by Western sanctions, Moscow has claimed that restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance have created obstacles to shipments.
Russia sought the revival of its ammonia exports and the reconnection of its state agricultural bank, Rosselkhozbank, to the SWIFT international payment system.
In response to inquiries about Trump’s comments suggesting progress toward a potential resolution for Ukraine, Peskov stated that both Russia and the United States share a mutual understanding of the necessity to pursue a settlement to conclude the war in Ukraine, though numerous details still require resolution. “There is indeed a common understanding here,” Peskov remarked. “Overall, there are still many different aspects related to the settlement that need to be addressed.”
