UNSG expresses deep regret at termination of Black Sea Grain Initiative

Reading Time: < 1 minute

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed his deep regret at a decision by the Russian Federation to terminate the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

A Kremlin spokesperson told reporters earlier that the agreement had essentially stopped and that Moscow would no longer cooperate with the deal over obstacles to its own shipments of food and fertilizer reaching markets due to western sanctions.

The Russian withdrawal also has direct implications for maritime security guarantees that resulted in a shipping humanitarian corridor since the agreement’s inception almost a year ago.

A visibly disappointed Secretary-General spoke in detail about UN efforts to appease Russian concerns including those to remove hurdles affecting financial transactions through Russia’s Agricultural Bank and proposals around the insurance and banking sectors, part of efforts to normalize commercial trading conditions.

Guterres warned that hundreds of millions of people struggling everywhere would pay the price of the decision amidst a hunger and global cost-of-living crisis.

He expressed regret that his proposals to Russia went unheeded but vowed to continue work to facilitate the unimpeded access to global markets for both Ukrainian and Russian food and fertilizer products.