The United Nations, NATO and the United States are also calling for an extension of the grain agreement, which expires on November 19. The Kremlin says that the effectiveness of the deal has yet to be assessed.
Ankara believes that the grain deal, which expires on November 19, should be extended for a year. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters, Türkiye Gazetesi reported.
“Ukraine has given guarantees [of security] to Russia through Turkey. We will offer to extend the agreement for another year,” he said.
Ankara is referring to Kiev’s guarantees of non-repetition of attacks in the Black Sea using infrastructure and corridors to export grain: the Russian Foreign Ministry reported the attack. According to the Defense Ministry, on October 29, the Ukrainian side used drones to attack ships in Sevastopol Bay, which were involved in securing the humanitarian corridor. Because of this, Moscow suspended its participation in the grain deal but returned to it on November 2, saying it had received “clear guarantees” from Kiev. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry says the country has not made any new commitments regarding the agreement.
Officially, the Ukrainian authorities did not confirm their involvement in the Sevastopol incident. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry believes that Moscow, having decided to temporarily withdraw from the deal, is blocking grain supplies under a trumped-up pretext. The Russian side denies the accusations.
The United States, UN and NATO also called for prolongation of the grain agreement, saying that if agricultural products were not brought to the world markets as part of the initiative, “food prices would go up and millions of people would suffer.
The Kremlin believes that the effectiveness of the deal has yet to be assessed; Russia will discuss this issue with its partners. President Vladimir Putin has previously repeatedly criticized the implementation of the deal, pointing out that most of the ships were sent to the EU and not to the poorest countries, as agreed. Moscow also says it “does not see any result” with regard to the second part of the agreement, designed to remove obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports that arose because of sanctions.