The fate of the Ukrainian grain deal, which expires Monday, July 17, remains uncertain. While international discussions are increasing for Moscow to sign the renewal of the text which, over the past year, has allowed nearly 33 million tonnes of cereals to leave Ukrainian ports despite the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to send negative signs.

In a phone call with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, Mr. Putin “stressed that the obligations set out in the Russia-United Nations [UN] memorandum on the removal of obstacles for the export of food and fertilizers are still not fulfilled,” the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday.

“The main objective of the agreement, the delivery of cereals to countries in need, especially on the African continent, is not achieved”, continues the Russian presidency who reports this conversation between MM. Putin and Ramaphosa.

For its part, the South African presidency confirmed this exchange on the issue, following a call between President Ramaphosa and the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

“Not a single” Russian request taken into account, criticizes Moscow

The day before, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, mediator between Kyiv and Moscow, assured that Mr. Putin was “agree” to extend this vital Ukrainian grain agreement. But the Kremlin has denied making any statement about it. On Thursday, the Russian president had already deplored that “not a single one” of his country’s requests had been taken into account during the negotiations to extend the agreement.

Signed in July 2022 in Istanbul (Turkey) and already renewed twice, the agreement expires Monday evening at midnight (11 p.m. Paris time). Ukraine’s production is considered essential to prevent a surge in food prices on the world market, which could trigger a food crisis in the most vulnerable countries.

On July 4, the Kremlin had already announced that it saw “no reason” to extend this agreement, complaining of obstacles to its own deliveries of agricultural products, in particular fertilizers which serve many countries of the South, such as Brazil.

Mr. Guterres wishes, to convince him, to remove the obstacles to these exports, also planned for July 2022 by a parallel agreement, by “removing the obstacles to the financial transactions of the Agricultural Bank of Russia”.

Several summits planned

On Saturday, the South African president also discussed with Mr. Putin the preparations for the BRICS summit in South Africa at the end of August, where the Russian leader is invited despite an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court, according to the Kremlin.

The two heads of state also discussed on Saturday the Russia-Africa summit, scheduled for late July in Saint Petersburg, and the initiative for peace in Ukraine promoted by several African leaders, according to the Kremlin and Pretoria. MM. Putin and Ramaphosa “agreed” to have a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of this summit in Russia, the Russian presidency said.

On the conflict, as on the grain issue, “President Ramaphosa also had a telephone discussion with the Ukrainian President”, Volodymyr Zelensky, Thursday. He will “continue his discussions with the two leaders and the UN Secretary-General on these issues,” the statement from Pretoria insisted.