Russia announced this Saturday that it is leaving the pact signed with Ukraine that makes it easier for this country to export its cereals in the midst of the war between both nationsaccording to various international media.
On July 22, and with the mediation of Turkey, both nations had agreed on the departure of Ukrainian ships to the sea under the escort of Turkish warships, in order to unlock up to 22 million tons of grain produced in Ukraine. .
The Russian authorities have justified the indefinite suspension of the agreement with the aggression suffered by their vessels at the headquarters of their Black Sea fleet, in the annexed Crimean peninsula.
The Russian port authorities ?? of #Sevastopol reported that the Russian Black Sea Fleet repelled a #Attack of drones against the bay of the town https://t.co/nW2R5fQxG3
– teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) October 29, 2022
“The Ukrainian Armed Forces, under the corridor created for the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative to export agricultural products, they launched massive air and sea attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles against the ships and infrastructure of the Russian Black Sea Fleet,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. reviewed by the Spanish newspaper El País.
The pact for the export of grain from Ukraine was, along with the prisoner exchanges, the only compromise reached by both sides since the Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to begin invasion of ukrainian territory on February 24. Both parties announced this Saturday an exchange of 50 detainees, adds the publication.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its fleet stationed in the city of Sevastopol had been attacked by at least nine drones, although the assault “was repelled” and only one trawler was slightly damaged, the information states.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government declined to comment on the bombing, as it has done with previous attacks on several air bases and ammunition depots located by Russia on the Crimean peninsula.
Russia also blamed the UK for the incident, stating that “UK Navy specialists who trained the 73rd Ukrainian Special Maritime Operations Center for the attack on Sevastopol, were involved in blowing up the Nord Stream 1 gas pipelines and 2 of September 26”.
To these accusations the British government responded, through a post by its Ministry of Defense on Twitter, that they were “false claims of an epic scale” with the aim of “downplaying its disastrous illegal invasion of Ukraine”.
Shortly after the announcement about the suspension of the pact, Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev told the Rossiya 24 channel that “our country is ready to supply up to half a million tons of grain to the poorest countries for free in the next few years.” four months. We will do this with the participation of our trusted partner, Turkey”, highlights the Spanish media.
At the time, the agreement reached by Russia and Ukraine regarding grain exports, and in which the United Nations Organization (UN)was celebrated as a great diplomatic victory in the midst of the dangerous crisis, and helped contain the escalation in food prices.
As part of the deal, the Kremlin and the UN signed a memorandum to facilitate the export of Russian food and fertilizers, key to world agriculture. However, Putin’s government has complained that its exports remain halted and has even suggested it would renew the deal.
“We do not see results with the memorandum, it is a fact,” warned the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, María Zajárova, on October 27, according to El País.
“The agreement is a package, and all its parts must be implemented,” he added before warning that Moscow still had to make a decision on the extension of these pacts after next November 18.
