Moscow has put forward five conditions for the extension of the grain deal

Russian diplomats put forward five key conditions for extending the deal on the export of grain from the ports of Ukraine. If these issues are not resolved, then Moscow will not renew the deal after May 18 this year. The agreement was concluded in the summer of 2022 and was extended for 60 days on March 14, 2023. At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the extended agreements serve exclusively commercial exports of Ukraine from its southern ports in the interests of Western countries.

Among the five conditions put forward by the Russian Foreign Ministry, it was announced that Rosselkhozbank would be connected to the SWIFT settlement system. In addition, Russia demanded the resumption of deliveries to Russia of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services that fell under Western sanctions. Another condition is the abolition of restrictions on insurance and reinsurance of Russian ships carrying grain, and the lifting of the ban on their access to ports. In addition, Moscow is demanding the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline, which was supposed to open in December 2022, as well as the unblocking of foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies associated with the production and transportation of food and fertilizers.