Russia threatens to end key grain deal if G7 bans exports to its country.

By editorial Apr 28, 2022
CommercialΒ vesselsΒ includingΒ vesselsΒ which are part of Black Sea grain deal wait to pass the Bosphorus strait off the shores of Yenikapi in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 31, 2022.
Commercial vessels including vessels which are part of Black Sea grain deal wait to pass the Bosphorus strait off the shores of Yenikapi in Istanbul, Turkey, on October 31, 2022. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

Russia is threatening to terminate the Black Sea grain deal, viewed as critical for solving the world hunger crisis, if Group of Seven nations ban exports to the country.

Such a ban could be part of the ever-evolving set of sanctions the allies have leveled against Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and deputy chair of Russia’s security council, implied in a Telegram post Sunday that Russia would answer a new export ban by halting the flow of “goods that are the most sensitive for G7.”

β€œIn this case, the grain deal will end for them as well as many other things that they need,” Medvedev wrote.

What the alliance says: The G7 called for the β€œextension, full implementation and expansion” of the Black Sea grain deal in a statement published by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan on Sunday. 

“We condemn Russia’s attempts to use food as a means of destabilization and as tool of geopolitical coercion and reiterate our commitment to acting in solidarity and supporting those most affected by Russia’s weaponization of food,” the G7 ministers said in the statement adding they “will continue to design restrictive measures against Russia to shield population in need from unintended consequences by ensuring food and fertilizers are carved out.”

Some background: Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine led to a suspension of grain shipments in the Black Sea and a crisis on the global food market. 

Ukraine and Russia, brokered by the UN and Turkey, established the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 to guarantee safe passage for ships carrying grain and oilseeds – some of Ukraine’s most important exports.  

Shipments have been stop-and-start during the deal, with each side accusing the other of sabotaging the operation at times.

Russia has “once again” blocked 50 ships carrying “urgently needed” Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, said on April 17. 

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