MOSCOW, 18 September Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN ) Antonio Guterres said that the UN is actively working to restore the grain deal, but noted that this will not be easy, the UN Secretary General said in an interview with CNN.
«We are working hard to try to give it new life, but it will not be easy,» Guterres said.
The Black Sea Initiative, which was signed by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN on July 22, 2022, envisaged the export of Ukrainian grain and food, as well as fertilizers across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. 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 were the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, the resumption of supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and service, the restoration of the Tolyatti — Odessa ammonia pipeline and a number of other measures. As Moscow has repeatedly noted, this part of the package agreement was not implemented.
The grain deal ceased on July 18, when the Russian Federation notified Turkey, Ukraine and the UN of its objection to its extension. Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the terms of the deal regarding Russia were not fulfilled, despite the efforts of the UN, because Western countries were not going to fulfill their promises. Putin has repeatedly pointed out that the West exported most of the Ukrainian grain to their states, and the main goal of the deal — supplying grain to countries in need, including African ones — was never realized.