Russia is 99.9 per cent certain
to quit a UN-brokered deal on the safe wartime passage of Black Sea grain next
month because it no longer needs Ukrainian ports to export says a senior
Ukrainian diplomat.
The
United Nations and Turkey brokered the deal last July to help tackle a global
food crisis worsened by Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
Moscow
has threatened not to extend the agreement beyond July 18 unless a series of demands, including the
removal of obstacles to Russian grain and fertiliser exports, are met.
The
Black Sea export deal also allows for the safe export of ammonia - an important
ingredient in nitrate fertilizer - but none has been shipped under the
initiative.
Russia
has been pushing for the resumption of ammonia supplies via a pipeline through
Ukraine to the Black Sea port of Odesa that has lain idle since last year.
Olha
Trofimtseva, Ukraine's foreign ministry ambassador at large, said Russian
ammonia producer Uralchem had found an alternative route and does not need to
export ammonia via Odesa.
