ANKARA, Jun 26 The negotiation process to extend the terms of the grain deal may intensify from the beginning of July, top-level negotiations are possible, a source familiar with the process said.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that Russia is working towards making July 18 the last day of the grain deal. The UN has previously called for the removal of all obstacles for the extension of the Black Sea initiative.
«I will say this: so far it does not inspire optimism,» the agency's interlocutor said when asked about the situation around the deal. However, according to him, «there is a high probability that the negotiations will enter an active phase from the beginning of July.»
«It is quite possible, there is such a possibility,» the source said in response to a question whether top-level negotiations are possible.
The Black Sea Initiative, which was signed on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN, involves the export of Ukrainian grain and food, as well as fertilizers across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. The coordination of vessel traffic is handled by the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul. Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that the West exports most of the Ukrainian grain to their own states, and not to needy countries in Africa.
The grain initiative is an integral part of the package agreement. The second part — the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years — provides for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, among the main tasks was the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT, the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and a number of other measures. As noted in Moscow, this part of the package agreement has not yet been implemented. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said on June 21 that there are no prerequisites for extending the grain deal, since obligations towards Russia are not being fulfilled.