Russia has made it clear to the Turkish side what the West needs to do in order for the grain deal to be resurrected, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference following talks with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
“Of course, we talked about the problem that arose after the termination of the Black Sea Initiative for the export grain from Ukrainian ports on July 18. We conveyed to our Turkish partners our vision for what needs to be done in the West, first of all, to restore the viability of this initiative,” he said.
Lavrov also recalled the position voiced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on the conditions for resuming the deal.
“As soon as measures are taken not on negotiating the Russian part of the Black Sea package, but measures to solve all those problems that remained unfulfilled, despite the promises of the UN Secretary General [Antonio Guterres], whose efforts we appreciate, as soon as the talks turn into concrete decisions, we will be ready to resume the Ukrainian part of the grain package on the same day,” the minister stressed.
The implementation of the grain deal – an agreement concluded in July 2022 on a corridor for ships with Ukrainian grain – was terminated on July 17.
Russia notified Turkey, Ukraine and the UN of its objection to its extension from July 18. In an interview with TASS, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin reiterated Moscow’s conditions for the resumption of the grain deal, which included reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT, resuming supplies of spare parts, establishing transport logistics and insurance and giving Russian companies back access to their foreign assets.
