MOSCOW AP - Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed on Monday that Moscow has agreed to extend a deal that allows the exports of Ukrainian grain to global markets only for 60 days and could drop it altogether if conditions aren't met.
Putin emphasized at a parliamentary meeting in Moscow attended by lawmakers from African countries that Russia expects the facilitation of its own agricultural products as part of a package agreement.
A fair and comprehensive implementation of the Black Sea grain deal can only be ensured if our position is taken into account, and we will deal with the issue of our participation in it, Putin said.
The U.N. and Turkey brokered July's agreement that allowed Ukraine - one of the world's key breadbaskets - to ship food and fertilizer from three of its Black Sea ports. The 120 day agreement was renewed last November, and Russia agreed to extend it again when it expired Saturday, noting that it only accepted a 60 day extension.
Ukraine has charged that the 60 day extension contradicts the deal, but the agreement allows the parties to roll it over or modify it, as Russia did. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the United Nations confirmed the extension, but neither said how long it would last, reflecting their inability to force Russia's hand.
Moscow has expressed frustration at the fact that a parallel agreement did not open the door to Russian grain and fertilizer exports through the Black Sea. Russian wheat shipments were at or near record highs in November, December and January, a 24% increase over the same three months a year ago, according to financial data provider Refinitiv.
St phane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement that 25 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs had been moved to 45 countries under the initiative, helping to bring down global food prices and stabilizing markets.
Putin used Monday's conference attended by African legislators to press the long held Russian claim that a significant part of the grain exported under the deal was sent to well-stocked European markets and only a fraction ended up in African markets.
The Russian leader said if Moscow decides not to extend the deal after 60 days, it will be ready to provide African countries with free grain. Putin spoke before he met Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Kremlin. He arrived in Russia on Monday on a three-day visit that gave a strong political boost to the Russian president.
Food prices went up to record highs after Russian troops rolled into Ukraine in February, helping contribute to a global food crisis that is tied to the lingering effects of the COVID 19 pandemic and climate factors like drought.
The disruption in shipments of grain needed for staples of diets in places like Egypt, Lebanon and Nigeria exacerbated economic challenges and helped push millions more people into poverty or food insecurity. People in developing countries spend more money on basic things like food.
The UN World Food Program said that 345 million people were facing food insecurity because of the crisis.