Kremlin Reiterates Russia Ready To Return To Black Sea Grain Deal, If Only…

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

JAKARTA - Russia is ready to immediately return to the Black Sea grain deal, provided that its conditions are met, including those relating to Moscow, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"Russia and President Vladimir Putin have repeated this a hundred times, ready to quickly return to the right agreement. Not only for talks but for the agreement itself. Russia is ready to do so immediately. The agreement must be implemented modestly on the part that concerns Russia. This has not been done until now," explained Peskov, citing TASS, August 3.

Furthermore, Peskov emphasized the importance of fulfilling the conditions to restore the agreement, including the removal of restrictions.

"For that, European countries just need to take a number of steps to remove the restrictions that disconnect Rosselkhozbank [Russian Agricultural Bank] from SWIFT and others," explained Peskov.

"Those things can be fulfilled quickly and (then) Russia will quickly return to implementing the grain deal," Peskov added.

He stressed that Russia had carried out its responsibilities under the grain deal independently for too long, while obligations to Moscow had not been fulfilled.

"Russia has fulfilled all its obligations (under the deal) unilaterally for too long. And for too long, obligations to Moscow have not been fulfilled, so now they are suspended," he said.

The Black Sea grain deal between Russia and Ukraine that allowed safe wartime grain exports ended on July 17 as Moscow opted out of a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin previously noted that the grain deal could proceed "in a new form," but this required concrete action on the part of the West.