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| Russia urged to withdraw from the grain deal in order not to 'lose face' |
| 2023-04-26 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [REGNUM] Economist Zubets said that the Russian Federation needs to withdraw from the grain deal if the West does not lift sanctions. Russia certainly does not need a grain deal, and it is time for it to get out of it if Western countries refuse to lift the sanctions they have imposed. Alexei Zubets , director of the Institute for Social and Economic Research of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told a REGNUM correspondent about this on April 25 . So he commented on the statement of the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov that at the moment the circumstances are not in favor of the grain deal. "We don't need a grain deal - that's for sure," Zubets stated. "Our partners need it. Like China is the biggest buyer, or Türkiye. And for us, this deal is harmful, because it harms Russian exporters - prices are falling on the market. Does Europe need this deal? Today, more no than yes. Because the influx of cheap Ukrainian grain to Europe brings down prices, which is also not necessary for European producers." As Zubets emphasized, Russia needs a deal only if we achieve the lifting of sanctions in this way, in particular, the return of Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT system, the admission of Russian exporters to the charter of European ships and the waiver of sanctions in terms of insurance of these ships. "In other words, a return to the state of February 23, 2022. Europe is not yet ready for such a global retreat. And without that, the whole deal loses its meaning," Zubets explained. "I think that if the West does not make concessions, then the deal will cease to exist. It has already been extended twice under potential concessions from the West. But there were no concessions. In the end, you have to respect yourself. So I have a pessimistic view of the future of this deal in May 2023. If you pull on, it means losing face." Recall, as REGNUM reported , earlier the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov stated that the promises that Russia received at the conclusion of the grain deal are not fulfilled, and therefore, the circumstances are not in favor of extending this deal . At the same time, he urged not to forget that the global food crisis should not be considered a direct result of the disappearance of Ukrainian grain from the market. Prior to this, Peskov noted that the Russian Federation was in favor of fulfilling all the conditions of the grain deal, since otherwise it could not continue . Meanwhile, UN Secretary General António Guterres has already sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin outlining his proposals to extend and expand the grain deal. According to the UN press service, Guterres presented a detailed report on the progress made in promoting Russian food and fertilizers to world markets. Moscow promised to study the initiatives of the UN Secretary General, but stated that so far they have not noticed on the part of the West the desire to truly fulfill the agreements necessary to fulfill the grain deal. More from regnum.ru Lavrov said that the West brought the situation with the grain deal to a standstill The situation with the grain deal is not resolved, it has been brought to a standstill by Western countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference at the UN on April 25. The Minister noted that the UN leaders are making efforts to normalize the situation, but their efforts do not bring results. A package deal was concluded, but the West demands that only the part in which Ukraine is interested be carried out, Lavrov said. "The deal has turned from Black Sea to grain and from humanitarian to commercial. Less than 3% of the grain ended up in really poor countries, including Ethiopia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia. The rest was sent to high-income and upper-middle-income countries," Lavrov said. Earlier, on April 25, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that the promises made to Russia when concluding the grain deal continue to be not fulfilled, and therefore "the circumstances are not in favor of (extension. - Ed.) of the deal." On April 24, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that Ukraine used a humanitarian corridor in the waters of Odessa to attack the bases of the Black Sea Fleet and the civilian infrastructure of Crimea. Such actions jeopardize the possibility of extending the deal, the department noted. On April 24, Sergei Lavrov, after a meeting with UN Secretary General António Guterres , said that Moscow sees no progress in the implementation of the grain deal. Guterres gave Lavrov a letter addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The UN Secretary General's proposals will be studied, Lavrov said. The grain deal will be extended again only if the promises given to Russia are fulfilled, the Foreign Ministry noted earlier. Russia demands that all conditions be met: reconnecting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, resuming supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services to Russia, lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance, as well as lifting the ban on access to ports, restoring the work of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and unblocking assets and accounts of Russian companies involved in the production and transportation of food and fertilizers. |
| Posted by:badanov |