Ministry of Foreign Affairs pushes back against alleged “guarantees” for the grain deal
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko stated that Ukraine did not offer any new commitments to Russia (Photo:The New Voice of Ukraine)
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry denied Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's claim that Russia had rejoined the grain initiative because it received "guarantees" from Kyiv that the humanitarian route will not be used for military purposes, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko wrote on his Facebook page on Nov. 3.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed they had received "written guarantees" from Kyiv that the grain corridor and Ukrainian ports "will not be used for conducting military operations against Russia".
He stated that Ukraine has never used and has never planned to use the "grain corridor" for military purposes, strictly adhering to the provisions of the grain agreement.
"Recall that within this agreement (in July) the parties committed to guarantee a safe and reliable functioning environment for the grain corridor,” the spokesperson wrote.
“Ukraine has never put the grain route in danger.”
He also stressed that Ukraine has not undertaken any new commitments that go beyond those already existing in the grain agreement.
"Moscow has returned to the grain deal thanks to the active diplomacy of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” he explained.
“In coordination with Ukraine, they found words that Putin understood. It was a position of strength, not a deed. Russia’s resumption of the "grain deal" clearly illustrates a working model: position of power + determination = desirable result.”
Later, Putin explained that "written guarantees" had been received from Turkey, not from Ukraine itself.
The grain deal, a UN-brokered initiative to partially lift the blockade on some of Ukraine’s port to resume grain exports, was signed on July 22.
On Oct. 29, Russia announced that it was suspending its participation in the deal due to a suspected Ukrainian attack on Russian military naval vessels in occupied Sevastopol.
Open-source investigation collective GeoConfirmed analyzed photos and videos from Sevastopol Bay, confirming that at least three ships were struck, including the Black Sea Fleet flagship Admiral Makarov.
Kyiv called Moscow’s actions “food blackmail” and emphasized that Russia was withdrawing from the agreement under a false pretext.
On Nov. 2, Russia announced that it was resuming its role in the grain deal.
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