European Union has asked G20 powers to put pressure on Russia to rejoin deal that allows Ukrainian grain exports by sea, says EU foreign minister Black. In this letter, dated Monday July 31 and addressed to the G20 foreign ministers, Josep Borrell underlines that the Russian agricultural sector is the main beneficiary of the withdrawal from this agreement negotiated by the UN. Moreover, Moscow categorically refused to renew this agreement in mid-July, immediately leading to an increase in grain prices in the markets.
Signed in July 2022, the agreement had made it possible to export 33 million tonnes of grain in one year despite the war waged by Russia in Ukraine, a crucial producer for the supply of many developing countries. “Russia will benefit more from rising food prices and increase its own market share in the global grain market by drastically limiting the export capacity of its main competitor,” Borrell said. By offering vulnerable countries, especially in Africa, to deliver cereals at reduced prices, Russia is “pretending to solve a problem that it created itself”, he continues.
“This is a cynical policy of deliberately using food as a weapon, in order to generate new addictions by exacerbating economic vulnerabilities and global food insecurity”, insists the head of European diplomacy. “I would like to ask for your support in urging Russia to resume negotiations, as well as to refrain from targeting Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure,” Josep Borrell wrote to his G20 counterparts.
In recent days, Russian drone attacks have targeted Ukrainian port sites on the Danube, crucial for its exports. According to Borrell, Russia could be persuaded to return to the grain deal “if the international community speaks with a clear and unified voice.” The Twenty-Seven are already trying to convince the G20 powers, such as India and Brazil, to denounce the non-renewal of the agreement, and to show developing countries – sensitive to Moscow’s arguments – that Russia is responsible for food price volatility.
The EU also intends to strengthen its “corridors of solidarity”, land and river routes through Europe allowing the delivery of Ukrainian cereals to the rest of the world. European sanctions against Russia do not target grain and fertilizer exports to third countries, and the UN provides ways to guarantee payments for transactions with Russian entities, Borrell also recalls.
