Russia could quit a hard-fought grain deal as early as next month if its export conditions don’t improve, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin warned on Saturday, according to the TASS news agency.
“We cannot be satisfied with how this memorandum is being implemented,” Vershinin told the Russian media outlet. “Barriers to our exports remain.”
Vershinin’s remarks came just a day after a meeting with U.S. officials in Geneva to discuss the grain deal.
Due to their role in ensuring global food security, Russian food and fertilizers have escaped Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. But the Kremlin is arguing that difficulties in terms of payment, insurance and logistics are making it harder to export them.
Last month, the agreement was extended by two months, meaning that, if diplomatic efforts fall short, from July 17 on ships passing through the Bosphorus to collect cargoes from Ukraine’s southern ports and deliver them to world markets will no longer be safe.
The agreement was struck in July last year by Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the U.N. Russia’s ambassador to Turkey made clear on Friday that there was no room to extend the deal, Reuters reported.
According to TASS figures, since the deal was put in place, nearly 40 percent of the entire supply was exported to Western Europe, with Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal amounting to the largest importers.
