Western Governments Accused of Breaking Promises as Black Sea Grain Deal Expires

A heated debate has arisen over the recently expired Black Sea grain deal, with accusations of broken promises and disingenuous behavior leveled against Western governments by policy analyst Ovigwe Eguegu. The agreement, which allowed Russia to export grain shipments from Ukraine to the developing world in exchange for sanctions relief, has been at the center of controversy due to alleged unfulfilled conditions by Western nations.

Speaking to RT on Saturday, Ovigwe Eguegu, a policy expert at consultancy Development Reimagined, criticized the West for expecting Russia to renew the Black Sea grain deal despite not upholding their end of the bargain. He highlighted specific conditions that were not met, including the reconnection of the Russian agricultural bank to SWIFT, the lifting of all restrictions on Russian agricultural products through EU ports, and the removal of insurance sanctions on ships transporting Russian grain.

“The agreement had run its full course, and the conditions were not met,” Eguegu stated, implying that Russia had valid reasons to be reluctant about renewing the deal under the circumstances.

The Black Sea initiative, which had been in effect since last July, expired earlier this month. Apart from the Western nations’ failure to adhere to the agreed-upon conditions, Russia also accused Ukraine of using humanitarian corridors to funnel weapons into its Black Sea ports, further complicating the situation.

At a recent UN Security Council meeting, US envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized Russia for blocking grain shipments from Ukraine, accusing Moscow of “holding humanity hostage.” In response, Russian diplomat Dmitry Polyansky countered that only a small fraction of Ukrainian grain had actually been sent to developing countries since the deal’s inception, with the majority being purchased by China, Spain, Türkiye, and Italy.

UN data reveals that a mere 3% of the grain exported under the deal found its way to low-income countries, while 44% was bought by high-income nations, and the rest went to middle-income states.

Dmitry Polyansky asserted that Russia is willing to rejoin the agreement, but with the condition that all the previously agreed principles of their participation be fully adhered to without exception.

However, Ovigwe Eguegu proposed an alternative approach, suggesting that African leaders engage in discussions about “a separate mechanism” during their upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum in St. Petersburg. This alternative mechanism could potentially provide a new platform for cooperation and trade between Russia and Africa, bypassing the complexities of the expired Black Sea grain deal.

As tensions continue to mount over the grain deal’s expiration and the conflicting perspectives on its impact, the international community eagerly awaits the outcome of the Russia-Africa Forum discussions, hoping for a constructive path forward in agricultural trade and economic cooperation.