Russia claims Black Sea grain deal does not help improve global supplies
(VOVWORLD) -The Black Sea grain deal hasn’t yielded any positive for Russia, or helped boost supplies to the global market, said Arkady Zlochevsky, head of the Russian Grain Union on Monday, adding that Russia can export 60 million tons of grain this year, including 50 million tons of wheat.
 A grain ship sails in the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul, Turkey, August 7, 2022. (Photo: VNA) |
Moscow has repeatedly asked the West to remove obstacles to exporting Russian grain and fertilizer, and recently announced that the agreement brokered last July by Turkey and the UN will not be extended beyond May 18 if those obstacles are not addressed.
Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev last Sunday threatened to take countermeasures if the G7 completely bans exports to Russia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday proposed a way forward to improve, extend, and expand the deal in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
During their meeting at the UN's New York headquarters Guterres asked Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to deliver the letter to Putin.