UN Secretary-General offers Sergey Lavrov a deal to bring Russia back to the grain agreement — Bild
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has sent a letter to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with a deal to bring Russia back to the Black Sea Initiative.
The German newspaper Bild reported this, stating that they had seen the contents of the letter.
The UN allegedly promises to lift EU sanctions against the Rosselkhozbank (Russian Agricultural Bank) and allow the bank to return to the SWIFT international system.
Guterres allegedly offered to insure Russian ships against attacks in the Azov and Black Seas, as well as to return the assets of Russian fertiliser companies frozen in the EU to Russia.
"The United Nations can continue to help unfreeze the frozen assets of Russian fertiliser companies in the European Union," Bild quoted the UN Secretary-General as saying.
The fourth point of the so-called "agreement" was a promise to allow Russian produce vessels to enter European ports.
For this purpose, the UN has allegedly already "held discussions with the European Commission and selected port authorities in Germany, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands."
The EU Commission in Brussels stated in a commentary to BILD that the EU sanctions include "targeted exemptions that will allow Russian ships access to EU ports if necessary."
The exemptions relate to the purchase, import, or transport of agricultural products and foodstuffs, including wheat and fertiliser.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reacted to these reports and called the possible partial relief of sanctions a "victory for Russian food blackmail."
"The international community should work to bring Russia back to fulfil its obligations, not to strengthen its sense of impunity and encourage new aggression by offering concessions," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko.
Russia withdrew from the grain deal on July 17, 2023.
It will be recalled that on September 4, Turkish President Recep Erdoğan met with Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia. Erdogan failed to persuade the Russian President to return to the grain deal.
