US and EU Pledge to Open Exports of Russian Grains and Fertilizers

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United Nations (UN) kept the written promise of the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) to remove barriers to exports of Russian wheat and fertilizers to world markets. Lavrov revealed this after meeting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the G20 Summit agenda series.

Lavrov said Guterres would do his best to ensure this was addressed as part of the Black Sea initiative signed in July. The initiative allows Ukraine to resume grain shipments from its southern ports after months of Russian blockade.

Guterres said he had obtained written promises from the US and the EU to implement a part of the deal that concerns Russian exports, so operators handling Russian grain would not be subject to sanctions. If the promise is fulfilled, all barriers to Russia's grain and fertilizer exports will disappear.