WASHINGTON, Jul 21 The U.S., along with its allies, is seeking alternatives to the Black Sea grain deal, but sees no other route to fully replace lost supplies, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said.
“We are working with our allies. We are working with our partners who are working with Ukraine to find other options. But I must tell you that I do not consider it possible to compensate for the volumes lost with the end of this initiative through other routes,” he said, speaking at the Aspen Security Forum.
Russia had previously notified Turkey, Ukraine and the UN that it was terminating the grain deal effective July 18, which involved the export of Ukrainian grain and food, as well as fertilizer across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. The grain initiative was an integral part of the package deal. The second part — the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for three years — provided for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, among the main tasks were 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. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the terms of the deal with Russia were not fulfilled, despite the efforts of the UN, because the Western countries were not going to keep their promises. Putin also repeatedly pointed out that the West exported most of the Ukrainian grain to their states, and the main goal of the deal — the supply of grain to countries in need, including African ones — was never realized. 0.html» data-title=»Blinken answered the question about contacts with Russia on prisoner exchange»>