Russia says West is 'burying' Black Sea grain deal
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday accused the West of "shamelessly burying" the Black Sea grain initiative that facilitates the export of Ukraine's agricultural products from its southern ports, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
While remaining in the agreement, Russia has repeatedly railed against the West's approach to the deal, struck last July, saying countries that have imposed sanctions on Moscow are not doing enough to ease restrictions on Russia's own exports, in particular of fertilisers.
"The West is shamelessly burying the well known humanitarian initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General," RIA quoted Lavrov as saying at a G20 foreign ministers' meeting, in reference to the grain deal.
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The current phase of the agreement, brokered by Turkey and the UN, ends on 18 March. It will be extended if no party raises a formal objection. Ahead of a previous deadline to extend the deal in November, Russia also escalated its criticism of the deal in a bid to get more concessions from the West, but ultimately let it roll over for another 120 days.
Russia's foreign ministry said on Wednesday it would only agree to a second extension of the deal if the interests of its own agricultural producers were taken into account.
Russia's farm sector has not been explicitly targeted by Western sanctions, but Moscow says the sanctions affect payments, shipping and insurance and therefore pose a "barrier" to its grain and fertiliser exports.
