Foreign Ministry Denies Putin's Statement about Ukraine's "Guarantees" Regarding Grain Deal

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has denied the statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine had allegedly made some new commitments on the implementation of the "grain deal". 

"Vladimir Putin said that Russia decided to unblock the grain deal after Ukraine provided ‘guarantees’ that it would not use the grain corridor for military purposes. Ukraine did not use and did not plan to use the grain corridor for military purposes. The Ukrainian side is adhering strictly to the provisions of the grain deal," Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, said.

He recalled that within the framework of the grain initiative, the parties pledged to guarantee a safe and reliable environment for the operation of the grain corridor. Ukraine has never exposed the grain route to danger.

"Our state has not made any new commitments that would go beyond the existing ones in the grain deal," Nikolenko said.

Moscow has returned to the grain deal thanks to the active diplomacy of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, added the spokesperson.

"In coordination with Ukraine, they found words that Putin understood. It was a position of strength, not concessions. Russia's return to fulfilling its commitments under the grain initiative clearly illustrates the effective formula: strong position + decisive actions = result," Nikolenko added.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is grateful to the UN and Türkiye for their leadership in restoring the functioning of the grain corridor, which plays an important role in ensuring global food security.

On 2 November, Russia changed its mind and returned to the "grain deal".

The Russian Defence Ministry stated that Russia received "written guarantees" from Ukraine that the grain corridor would not be used for military operations against the Russian Federation.

Later, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow reserves the right to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative if Ukraine violates its guarantees not to use the "grain corridor" for attacks on the Russian Black Sea Fleet.