This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for the continued operation of the Black Sea grain export deal after Russia suspended its participation in it, saying that he has agreed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to work with “responsible states to restore food security and food supply via the Black Sea routes.”
Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address that the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which Russia withdrew from earlier on July 17, could operate without Moscow’s participation and said Russia’s decision gives the world an opportunity to show that “blackmail” cannot determine who has enough food to eat.
He said earlier through a spokesman that Ukraine is prepared to continue grain exports without Russian participation and that Ukraine had been “approached by companies that own ships” and “they said that they are ready.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba condemned Russia’s move after meetings in New York with U.S. and European diplomats, saying the grain initiative has been “vital” to preventing global food prices from rising.
“Ukraine and [the] U.S. will spare no effort to ensure export of Ukrainian grains to Africa, Asia, and beyond,” Kuleba said on Twitter.
White House national-security spokesman John Kirby also blasted Moscow for pulling out of the deal and said the decision would “harm millions of vulnerable people around the world.”
The United States will continue to work with other countries to ensure movement of grain out of Ukraine but is not considering using U.S. military assets to help protect grain shipments, Kirby said. He also said the use of Turkish vessels to facilitate the movement of Ukrainian grain was not a viable solution.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said officials were talking with Russia and that he hoped the deal would be extended, while Guterres expressed deep disappointment over Russia’s withdrawal, which he said had been “a lifeline for global food security and a beacon of hope in a troubled world.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken joined other Western diplomats in criticizing Russia’s decision, calling it “unconscionable.”
“The result of Russia’s action today weaponizing food,” Blinken told reporters on July 17. It will make food “harder to come by in places that desperately need it, and have prices rise.”
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said earlier that Russia’s exit from the deal was an “act of cruelty,” while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Russia’s suspension as a “cynical move” and said the EU would continue to try to secure food for poor countries.
The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey one year ago, helped alleviate a global food crisis by allowing grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
Moscow refused to extend the agreement beyond the July 17 expiration of a two-month extension agreed in May, complaining that promises to free up its own shipments of food and fertilizers had not been kept.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russia was halting its participation in the deal, adding that Moscow will return to the deal after its demands are met.
“When the part of the Black Sea deal related to Russia is implemented, Russia will immediately return to the implementation of the deal,” Peskov said.
Asked whether an attack on a bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula to Russia was a factor in the decision on the grain deal, the Kremlin spokesman said it was not.
Russia’s UN mission said no more talks on the deal are planned, RIA Novosti reported.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, reacting to Russia’s withdrawal during a visit to UN headquarters, demanded that Putin “refrain from once again using hunger as a weapon in this brutal war of aggression.”
The French Foreign Ministry condemned Russia’s suspension and demanded that Moscow stop its “blackmail” on world food security.
“Russia is solely responsible for blocking navigation in this maritime space and imposes an illegal blockade on Ukrainian ports,” the ministry said in a statement.
