Russia has sent a list of demands to the United Nations and threatened to withdraw from the agreement on the establishment of the humanitarian maritime corridor that allows ships to export grain and other foodstuffs from Ukraine, which is due to expire in November, if these demands are not met.
Russia’s permanent representative at the United Nations Office in Geneva Gennady Gatilov announced this, the CFTS portal reports, citing the Black Sea News publication.
According to Gatilov, the Russian Federation delivered to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres a letter setting out a list of complaints on Wednesday. They are expected to be discussed during a meeting between representatives of the United Nations and Russia on Sunday.
"If we see nothing is happening on the Russian side of the deal—export of Russian grains and fertilizers—then we will have to look at it differently," he said.
Asked if Russia might decline to support renewal of the grain agreement, he said, "There is such a possibility."
The United Nations wants to resume the transportation of Russian ammonia through Ukraine, although the Russian Federation is exporting it, anyway.
The Russian complaints to the United Nations have not been disclosed. Gatilov declined to make a copy of the letter available, and the United Nations secretary general’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric only stated that the dialogue between the parties to the "grain agreement" was continuing.
The "grain agreement" is due to expire in November, by which time it must be extended.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba called on all countries to put pressure on the Russian Federation to prevent its attempts to block the extension of the agreement.
