Russia to Not Recognize the "Grain Corridor" without Its Participation

Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said that Moscow would not recognize the agreements on the grain export from Ukraine without its participation.

"We proceed from the fact that the 'Black Sea Initiative' concluded between Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine upon the assurance of the UN on July 22 should not be carried out without us. We are not bound to anything by decisions taken without our participation," Nebenzya said this at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday.

Nebenzya also mentioned Ukraine's alleged attack on Russian warships in Sevastopol, which he called "a gross violation of the "grain agreement," which effectively puts an end to the humanitarian dimension of the agreements in Istanbul."

"With this in mind, the Russian side cannot guarantee the safety of civilian vessels participating in the Black Sea Initiative," he said.

The Russian diplomat expressed surprise that after the suspension of Russia's participation in the "grain deal," the other parties - Türkiye, Ukraine, and the UN - movement plan for 14 vessels on October 31 under the "Black Sea grain initiative." He stated that such decisions "do not bind us to anything."

"At the same time, taking into account the abuse of the "grain corridor" and the fundamental fact that the Black Sea is still a war zone, we cannot let the unimpeded movement of ships without our inspection. And we will be forced to take measures to control what was allowed by the Joint Coordination Center without our consent," he believes.

Russia announced suspension of its participation in the UN-mediated grain deal on Saturday, October 29. Russia claimed that its port of Sevastopol was attacked by Ukraine and its Western partners. Russia also claimed that the ships under attack were responsible for being involved in securing the grain ships.

As European Pravda wrote in its article, the "grain agreement" can work even without the participation of the Russian side if it is the will of Turkish President Erdoğan. The implementation of this scenario has already begun.