Russia Withdraws from Grain Deal - World's Reaction
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly called on Russian President Putin to immediately unblock the Black Sea for navigation and withdraw troops from Ukraine, emphasizing that the world cannot tolerate the war in Ukraine lasting another 500 days.
The official's statements were made during a UN Security Council meeting, as reported on the British government's website.
"Russia refuses to continue [the deal] and withdraws a massive 23 million tons of Ukrainian food from the global markets next year. Let's be frank - Russia's actions take food from the mouths of the poorest people in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America," Cleverly stated.
Previously, the Kremlin announced its withdrawal from the so-called grain deal, which had partially restored Ukrainian grain exports to the world markets that were previously blocked by Russian forces. This impacts deliveries to several African countries, which heavily rely on Ukrainian agricultural produce, leaving their populations on the brink of hunger and mass migration.
On Monday, July 17th, the Press Secretary of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, announced the unilateral termination of Russia's participation in the grain deal concluded between Russia, Turkey, and the UN.
"The Black Sea agreements, in fact, have expired today. As the President of the Russian Federation stated earlier, the term expired on July 17th. Unfortunately, the part concerning Russia in this Black Sea agreement has not been fulfilled yet. Therefore, its validity is terminated," Peskov stated.
It is worth noting that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan previously claimed that Putin agreed to extend the Black Sea corridor for Ukrainian grain.
Reacting to Russia's updated stance on leaving the deal, the Turkish leader expressed hope for achieving positive results regarding its continuation.
"I hope that during this discussion, we will be able to make progress and continue our path without a pause," Erdoğan said in a conversation with journalists.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, described Russia's refusal to extend the grain deal as a "cynical step."
"I strongly condemn Russia's cynical step to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative, despite the efforts of the UN and Turkey. The EU is working to ensure food security for vulnerable populations worldwide," she wrote on her Twitter.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assured African journalists that everything necessary would be done to keep the grain corridor operational even without Russia.
"Even without Russia, we need to do everything so that we can use this Black Sea corridor. We are not afraid. Companies that own ships have approached us. They said that if Ukraine allows, and Turkey lets the grain through, then everyone is ready to continue supplying grain," the President stated.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern over Russia's actions, stating that "today's decision by the Russian Federation will strike people in need worldwide."
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned Russia's decision to exit the Black Sea Grain Initiative, saying that "Russia's unlawful war against Ukraine continues to harm millions of vulnerable people worldwide."
Kremlin's targeted use of the "grain deal" as a pressure tool on international organizations threatens to exacerbate the global food crisis and create zones of instability and migration due to famine.
Russia previously "exited" the grain deal, but later returned to its implementation, focusing efforts on prolonging the vessel verification process.
Following the announcement of the withdrawal from the grain initiative, Russia intensified attacks on Ukrainian port cities - Odesa and Mykolaiv. During the night, Russian forces fired six Kalibr cruise missiles and 36 Shahed attack drones, most of which were intercepted in the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions.