WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th August, 2023) The United States wants Russia to clarify its demands for reviving the grain exports agreement, formally known as the Black Sea Initiative, US State Department Sanctions Office head James O'Brien said on Friday.
On July 18, the United Nations-brokered agreement to secure a humanitarian Black Sea Corridor to enable grain exports from Ukrainian ports expired because Russia did not renew its participation in the deal. Moscow said the agreement's provisions to facilitate Russian grain and fertilizer exports had not been implemented.
"What is the solution to this? I think a few things. The first point is that Russia needs to be clear what it is asking for," O'Brien said. "It has put forth a number of different demands, all of them having to do with various Russian institutions not getting services from the private sector."
O'Brien said the United States has made clear that it is prepared to help address Russia's concerns, but it is not clear what Moscow regards as a success because it is exporting a record amount of grain.
The US official pointed out that this past year, the Russian grain association said exports had reached 61.8 million tons of grain, which may be up to 15% higher than any year before.
O'Brien also said he is optimistic that Ukrainian grain will reach global markets, but it will take some time and may involve some costs.
