MOSCOW, July 8 Commenting on the grain deal, Vladimir Zelensky said that there should be «different corridors».
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"We are all independent countries. Today we have this grain corridor, it does not exist free, but just like this — structured and complex due to the fact that Russia is blocking the Black Sea. I believe that there should be different corridors,” Zelensky said at a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Vershinin said in June that Russia is working towards making July 18 the last day of «those agreements that are not being implemented.» Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov also said that there were no prerequisites for extending the grain deal, since its part concerning Russia had not been fulfilled. The UN previously called for the removal of all obstacles for the extension of the Black Sea initiative
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 part of the package deal. The second part — the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years, provides for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers; other measures. As noted in Moscow, this part of the package agreement has not yet been implemented. Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said on June 21 that there are no prerequisites for extending the grain deal, since obligations towards Russia are not being fulfilled.