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UN, April 29 Russia rejects Ukraine's attempts to set political conditions for the launch of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said.
«We have always viewed ammonia <…> as a mutually beneficial commercial project, but not as something related to the possibility of putting forward political conditions,» he said.
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“Unfortunately, all this time – relatively speaking, since September – various political demands from the Ukrainian side reached us through intermediaries, through the UN. They were diverse, we rejected them all and today we reject them,» he added.
The grain deal, which was signed on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN, involves the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizer across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. The package agreement also provides for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers. Moscow noted that this was precisely what was not done, while there were assurances from the UN that these restrictions would be lifted. Earlier, Russia extended the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 60 days, until May 18.
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that there was no progress in solving five systemic problems — reconnecting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT, resuming supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance, and lifting the ban access to ports, the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, the release of foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies associated with the production and transportation of food and fertilizer — there is no need to talk about a further extension of the Black Sea initiative after May 18.