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Russia has formally withdrawn from a UN-brokered deal to export Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea, potentially imperilling tens of millions of tonnes of food exports from the war-torn country.
Dmitry Peskov, president Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, told reporters on Monday that the agreement had “essentially stopped” and Russia would no longer co-operate with the deal.
Russia has complained since the UN and Turkey initially brokered the deal a year ago that western sanctions were holding up a parallel agreement to allow payments, insurance, and shipping for Moscow’s own agricultural exports. Peskov said Russia would resume its participation in the deal “as soon as the relevant agreements are fulfilled”.
Moscow informed other stakeholders on Monday morning that it would withdraw from the deal, a western diplomat told the FT.
The initiative has allowed some 32.9mn metric tonnes of food to be exported by sea from Ukraine since August, more than half to developing countries, according to the co-ordination committee set up to monitor its implementation.
This is a developing story
