(Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday there were no signs of the West honouring the part of the Black Sea grain deal affecting Russia.
Speaking at a news conference in Johannesburg at the end of a three-day summit of the BRICS group of developing nations, Lavrov said: “For now, we don’t see these signs (of grain deal implementation)”.
Lavrov added that he would meet United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres later on Thursday to discuss the deal.
Last month, Moscow withdrew from the deal, which allowed for the export of grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, saying the international community had failed to ensure Russia was also able to ship its own grain and fertiliser exports under the accord due to the effects of Western sanctions.
The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022, aimed to tackle sharp rises in global food prices caused partly by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are both major grain exporters.
(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Gareth Jones)
