NEW YORK: UN chief Antonio Guterres has suggested to Russian President Putin to extend the agreement permitting the safe Black Sea export of grain from Ukraine in return for linking a subsidiary of the agricultural bank of Russia to the SWIFT global payment system, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
UN Chief Asks Russian President to Extend Black Sea Grain Agreement in Return for SWIFT Access
Moscow has threatened to ditch the grain agreement, which expires on Monday. The last two ships traveling as per the Black Sea deal are presently loading cargoes at Odesa port in Ukraine ahead of the deadline.
A main demand by Russia is the reconnection of the Russian agricultural bank to the SWIFT global payment network. It was cut off by the EU in June 2022 over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. An EU official said in May that the alliance was not considering reinstating the Russian bank.
Reuters quoted three sources as saying, the European Union is considering reconnecting the Russian bank with SWIFT to permit specifically for fertilizer and grain transactions. However, the EU did not issue any statement on the matter.
The UN Secretary-General has also suggested to President Putin that Moscow allow the Black Sea grain agreement to continue for some months, giving the European Union time to connect the Russian bank to SWIFT, Reuters reported.
A UN spokesperson said on Wednesday that the UN chief also sent a letter to President Putin on Tuesday suggesting a way forward to further facilitate Russian fertilizer and food exports and ensure the continued Black Sea consignments of Ukrainian grain.
“The aim is to remove hurdles affecting money transactions through the Russian Bank, a key concern expressed by Moscow, and simultaneously permit for the continued flow of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea,” the UN spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not provide more details in this regard. Similarly, a spokesperson for the Kremlin also did not issue any statement on the development.
The UN and Ankara brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Moscow and Kyiv in July 2022 to help ease the world food crisis worsened by Russia’s invasion and blockade of ports in Ukraine.
