Russia reveals grain volumes to Asia and Africa
Russia has maintained grain shipments to African and Asian countries, despite Western obstacles that violate the UN-backed food shipments deal reached in July, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia, Lavrov highlighted that in total 10.5 million tons of grain, mainly wheat, has been supplied, with 60% going to Asia and about 40% to Africa.
According to Lavrov, the United Nations has informed him of written US and EU promises to remove obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has assured that the implementation of the food deal is a priority issue.
The Russian Foreign Minister, however, stressed that it’s important to implement all those promises in practice and not “on paper.”
In July, a breakthrough grain transport deal was reached between Russia and Ukraine, two of the world’s leading agricultural exporters, with mediation by the UN and Türkiye. It aimed to unlock exports of Ukrainian and Russian grain, which had come to halt due to the conflict between the two neighbors.
Moscow provided all the conditions for ships carrying Ukrainian grain to depart from ports in the Black Sea, but has complained for months that Guterres’ promise to remove obstacles blocking Russia's own food and fertilizer exports, created by Western sanctions, hasn’t been fulfilled.
The UN pledged to encourage the US and its allies to lift the restrictions which Moscow says hamper exports of its food and fertilizers. Russian merchants have only limited access to banking and maritime insurance due to Western sanctions.
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