Revealing the UN Secretary General's Letter to President Putin, the Kremlin Spokesperson Says It is Now Impossible to Return to the Black Sea Agreement

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. (Wikimedia Commons/Presidential Executive Office of Russia)

JAKARTA - A return to the grain deal is currently out of the question, as its conditions regarding Russia have not been met, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.

When asked to comment on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' proposal to extend the Black Sea initiative, he elaborated.

"Indeed, Guterres' letter (to Russian President Vladimir Putin) once again outlines a specific plan of action and promises it will one day be possible to fulfill the Russian part of these agreements," Peskov said.

"Unfortunately, at the moment it is not possible to return to this agreement, because this agreement is not being implemented," the Kremlin spokesman continued.

According to him, the de facto agreement was never implemented.

"However, President Putin emphasized that Russia is ready to proceed with the agreement as soon as it is executed," Peskov stressed.

As previously announced, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal that guaranteed Ukraine's safe grain exports because the deal lost its meaning, President Vladimir Putin wrote in an article published on Monday.

"The continuation of the grain deal has lost its meaning," President Putin said according to an article on the Kremlin website.

Saying terms for Russia's proposed extension of the deal were ignored, Moscow last week walked out of a deal that allowed Ukraine a year ago to export grain from Black Sea ports, despite the war, to alleviate a global food crisis.

"I want to make sure that our country is able to replace Ukrainian wheat both commercially and for free, especially since we are again expecting a record harvest this year," said President Putin.

The Black Sea grain deal between Russia and Ukraine, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, was agreed on July 22, 2022, in Istanbul. Since then, this agreement has been extended several times.