The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by Turkey and the UN in 2022, was developed to ensure the safe export of Ukrainian agricultural products.
However, Moscow withdrew from the deal in 2023, accusing the West of failing to lift sanctions it said were hindering its own agricultural and fertilizer exports.Under EU sanctions, Rosselkhozbank was cut off from the SWIFT financial messaging network, limiting its ability to process global payments.European leaders satisfying in Paris on Thursday declined any sanctions relief for Moscow over its intrusion of Ukraine.British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there was total clarity that now is not the time for the lifting of sanctions, arguing rather that they must be strengthened.German Chancellor Olaf Scholz echoed that view, calling sanctions relief a severe mistake and makes no sense without a ceasefire.On Friday, Peskov likewise addressed Russian President Vladimir Putins current call to get rid of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and install a temporary administration in Kyiv.The Kremlin spokesperson declared there was a overall lack of control over the Ukrainian army, accusing it of striking energy infrastructure every day despite a contract to stop briefly such attacks.Peskov firmly insisted that Russia would honor that dedication in the meantime.
The Russian side reserves the right, if the Kyiv regime does not observe the moratorium, to desert it too, he cautioned.