Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Verhsinin has stated that the renewal of the agreement for the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizers in the midst of the Ukrainian conflict is an unresolved issue six days before the planned date, in principle, for the entry into force of the extension of the pact.
«No,» the deputy minister replied sharply to the question in question, before recalling that «all circumstances will have to be taken into account» after the initial agreement expires next November 18.
«We have to take everything into account, and we cannot forget the terrorist attacks that the Ukrainian side carried out on the Crimean bridge, including the terrorist attack in the waters off Sevastopol, where ships providing a humanitarian corridor are deployed,» the deputy minister said.
Verhsinin thus referred to the unmanned drone attack denounced by Russia against the port at the end of last month and of which it accused Ukraine and the UK, who denied any involvement.
The deputy minister also echoed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s criticism of the route of these shipments, which according to Moscow are mainly destined for European countries, instead of the population of the African continent, a priority given the food needs that Ukrainian grain satisfies.
«(The route) generates doubts, and that to put it mildly,» the minister reiterated in statements picked up by the Russian agency TASS.
«They tell us that they arrive in Europe for further processing but, then, let us see where they go in the end: it is one thing if they end up in Africa or Latin America, but if they end up in Europe and they tell us that these shipments are going to help against hunger, we are going to find ourselves in an absolutely hypocritical situation,» he warned.
