Russia’s withdrawal from grain deal 'unconscionable': US secretary of state

By Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday said Russia’s decision to pull out from the Black Sea grain deal is “unconscionable” and added that the deal “should be restored as quickly as possible”.

“I hope that every country is watching this very closely, they will see that Russia is responsible for denying food to people who are desperately needed around the world and to contribute to rising prices at a time when many countries continue to experience very difficult deflation,” Blinken told reporters at the State Department.

He said that the grain deal has become necessary because of Russia’s war on Ukraine and accused Moscow of weaponizing food.

Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin announced that it has suspended the deal saying that the Russian part of the agreement was not implemented.

The agreement, initially signed in July of last year in Istanbul by Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine, was aimed at resuming grain exports from Ukrainian ports. These exports had been halted as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war which began in February 2022.

A Joint Coordination Center was set up in Istanbul last year with officials from the three countries and the UN to oversee the shipments.

The deal has been renewed several times since then, and it was extended for another two months on May 18.