Putin names “conditions” for Russia’s return to the grain deal

On Wednesday, July 19, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that he would consider returning to the “grain deal” if all its conditions are met. This was reported by Russian media.

Putin claims that Russia has allegedly “shown miracles of restraint and tolerance by continuing the grain deal.” According to him, the parties did not fulfill any obligations and agreements under the grain deal and were not going to, but instead only constantly “demanded something from Russia.” Putin lied that “the West did everything to derail the grain deal, spared no effort.”

He also said that the “grain deal” caused direct losses of $1.2 billion for Russian farmers.

The Russian dictator claims that Russia can replace Ukrainian grain, both commercially and free of charge, as Russia is expecting a “record harvest” this year. He noted that for Russia, the extension of the grain deal in its previous form makes no sense.

“That is why we opposed its further extension. We are not against the agreement itself. And we will consider returning to it, but on one condition – if all the principles of Russia’s participation in the agreement are fully taken into account, and most importantly, implemented,” Putin said.

Putin announced the conditions under which he is ready to extend the grain deal:

• Removal of sanctions on Russian grain and fertilizer supplies to world markets.
• Connecting banks to SWIFT.
• Termination of “all restrictions”.
• Resumption of supplies of spare parts for agricultural machinery.
• Resolving the issue of freight and insurance for Russian ships.

“We do not need any promises or ideas, we need these conditions to be fulfilled,” the dictator added.

In addition, he wants the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline to be restored and “Russian assets related to agriculture” to be unblocked.

“If all these conditions are met, we will immediately return to this agreement,” Putin said.

On July 17, Russia officially announced its withdrawal from the grain deal, citing the repeated blowing up of the Crimean bridge as a reason.

At the same time, Moscow withdrew its guarantees of safety of navigation in the Black Sea.

On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy proposed to continue the grain deal without Russian participation, jointly with Turkey and the UN.

Tags: Russia, Black Sea grain deal