West Unlikely to Lift Obstacles for Russian Supply Under Grain Deal, Ankara Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Ksenia Shakalova - Western countries are unlikely to facilitate exports of Russian grain under the so-called Black Sea grain deal, Cagri Erhan, a member of the Turkish Presidential Security and Foreign Policy Committee, told Sputnik.

Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of "shamelessly burying" the grain deal, saying that the exports of Russian agricultural products around the world is being blatantly hindered. The Russian Mission to the United Nations previously stated the country's fertilizers have not been shipped and cannot enter places like Syria even in the form of humanitarian aid.

"Americans and their Western allies will continue to make it difficult for Russia for any kind of revenue gaining, including the grain deal. However in final analysis this is a humanitarian thing. So the United Nations must do their best to prevent the grain deal from any kind of sanctions. It is not similar to any other thing like oil exporting or weapon exporting. It is something human life is depending on," Erhan said.

The counselor also noted that Ankara was doing its utmost to extend the deal, not only for Turkiye's sake but also for countries in Africa that are fully dependent on Russian and Ukrainian grain and fertilizers.

The United Nations-brokered grain export agreement, originally set to expire on November 19, 2022, was renewed for another 120 days until March 18, unless it is extended once again. Russia has repeatedly criticized the agreement for failing to ensure unimpeded exports of Russian grain and fertilizer amid Western sanctions.