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MOSCOW, July 4 The scheme to create a subsidiary of Rosselkhozbank, which the EU can connect to SWIFT for settlements under a grain deal, is obviously impassable, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria said on Tuesday Zakharova, comment posted on the ministry's website.
The day before, the Financial Times, citing sources, reported that the EU is considering allowing Rosselkhozbank to create a subsidiary that will be connected to the SWIFT payment system for settlements on transactions related to the export of grain, to save the grain deal.
“At the same time, a deliberately impassable scheme is being put forward to create a certain “subsidiary” of Rosselkhozbank, which the EU may someday agree to connect to SWIFT. “Behind the brackets” are such practical points as the fact that it takes many months to open a bank branch, the establishment of SWIFT takes another three months, and the shutdown occurs in «a matter of minutes». In exchange for all this, Russia must already now agree to a further extension of the «Black Sea Initiative»,» the commentary on the ministry's website reads. >
«You can't call it otherwise than another 'generous' proposal in the spirit of the UN Secretary General's initiative to restart the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, which was blown up on the territory controlled by Kiev on June 5,» the department added.
According to the ministry, «this story is in line with an active media campaign launched by Westerners, Ukrainians and the UN, against the backdrop of the upcoming completion of the «Black Sea Initiative» for the export of Ukrainian food, which expires on July 17.»
«Thus Thus, they are trying to create the appearance of some breakthrough results in the normalization of Russian agricultural exports, which is provided for by the Russia-UN Memorandum,» the Foreign Ministry stressed.
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 Rosselkhozbank 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.
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