A few hours after returning to the grain agreement: Putin is threatening again

Created: 02/11/2022, 20:15

By: Lukas Zigo, Christian Stör, Jan Oeftger

Negotiations between Russia and the West are proving difficult.

When it comes to grain deliveries, however, an agreement is reached: the news ticker.

+++ 8:00 p.m .:

Just a few hours after Russia announced that it would again adhere to the grain agreement with Ukraine, President Putin again threatened to withdraw from the deal.

As soon as Ukraine violates the guarantees given, Russia will take action and cancel the grain agreement again, Putin said in a speech to the Russian Security Council.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to pull out of the grain deal with Ukraine.

© Mikhail Metzel / AFP

+++ 12.30 p.m .:

Russia has made an unexpected U-turn in the agreement on exporting grain from Ukraine and is getting back into the agreement on exporting grain from Ukraine via the Black Sea, which was suspended on Saturday (see update from 11.40 a.m ).

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Ukraine had given the necessary written guarantees that it would only use the humanitarian corridor and the ports that had been set up for the export of food.

That is sufficient for the moment to fulfill the agreement, it said in Moscow.

The transports would continue on Wednesday, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

+++ 11.40 a.m .:

Russia is getting back into the agreement on exporting grain from Ukraine via the Black Sea, which was suspended on Saturday.

This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense in Moscow.

Thanks to Turkey's mediation, Ukraine has pledged not to use the sea corridor for hostilities against Russia.

Negotiations in the Ukraine war: UN expect grain transports on Thursday

+++ 11.15 a.m .:

The United Nations assumes that Ukrainian grain deliveries will soon resume.

"Although no ship movements are planned for November 2 as part of the #BlackSeaGrainInitiative, we expect loaded ships to set sail on Thursday," UN Coordinator Amir Abdulla tweeted on Tuesday evening.

"The exports of grain and food from #Ukraine️ must continue." After the suspension of the grain agreement by Russia, the United Nations announced the cessation of shipping traffic in the Black Sea on Wednesday. 

+++ 8:55 a.m .:

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin assumes “necessary conditions” that could stimulate negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

This reports

According to Putin, possible peace talks between Russia and Ukraine that have stalled could be resumed.

However, Putin expressed his disappointment that Ukraine "refuses to discuss with Russia".

The reason is, among other things, that Moscow recently suspended an agreement on the export of grain from Ukrainian ports.

Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Putin demands "real guarantees" in the grain crisis

+++ 8.35 a.m .:

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday that he was asking for “real guarantees” from Kiev before he might rejoin the grain agreement.

Nevertheless, Erdogan was "confident" with a view to a full resumption of the grain agreement.

A "solution-oriented cooperation" could be established, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Ministry after Erdogan had called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

A solution to the "grain crisis" could also stimulate a return to negotiations, Erdogan was quoted as saying. 

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Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Zelenskyj demands continuation of the grain agreement

Update from Wednesday, November 2, 6:50 a.m .:

On Tuesday (November 1), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the importance of Ukrainian grain exports.

"The grain corridor needs reliable and long-term protection," he emphasized in his daily video message.

Russia must therefore understand "that it will receive a tough, comprehensive response to all measures that disrupt our food exports".

On Saturday (October 29) Russia suspended the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain.

The reason for this was a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

According to the Russian military, this attack is said to have come from the ship corridor used for grain transport.

The JCC coordination center in Istanbul monitors the safe passage of cargo ships through the corridor.

According to the JCC, no ships will use this corridor on Wednesday (November 2).

Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Turkey believes in the continuation of the UN grain agreement

+++ 10 p.m .:

The Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar made two phone calls to his Russian counterpart within a few days.

He believes that the grain trade brokered by the United Nations, which Russia suspended over the weekend, will continue.

“Mr (Sergei) Shoigu continues to discuss the matter with his own authorities based on the information we have provided.

We expect an answer from them today or tomorrow," Akar said in a statement.

“There is progress in this direction.

We evaluate the information available to the effect that this agreement will go ahead."

Negotiations in the Ukraine war: Shipping traffic in the Black Sea is suspended

Update from Tuesday, November 1st, 7:30 p.m .:

The United Nations has announced the cessation of shipping traffic in the Black Sea after Russia suspended the grain agreement.

"The UN Secretariat and the Joint Coordination Center report that the delegations of Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations have agreed not to plan any movement of ships under the Black Sea Grains Initiative for tomorrow, November 2," said Sprecher Farhan Haq on Tuesday (November 1) in New York. 

Russia suspended the agreement mediated by Turkey and the UN on Saturday (October 29).

Moscow cited drone attacks by Kiev on its Black Sea fleet as justification.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was "confident" with a view to a full resumption of the agreement.

A "solution-oriented cooperation" could be established, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Ministry after Erdogan had called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (November 1).

Moscow vs. London - relations threaten to escalate

First report from Tuesday, November 1, 5:31 p.m.:

Moscow – Russia has not only been fighting against its neighboring country since the beginning of the Ukraine war.

The West is also repeatedly identified as the enemy.

In state TV, the USA and Great Britain are the main opponents who must be destroyed.

In a speech on October 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin also blamed the West for the worsening of the situation in Ukraine.

According to Putin, the West is playing a "dangerous, bloody and dirty" game.

Now, for the second time in a few days, Russia has blamed Britain for the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines.

Russian intelligence has information that “Britain is involved in this sabotage or, to put it in Russian, this terrorist attack against vital energy infrastructure, which is not Russian but, importantly, international energy infrastructure ' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday (November 1).

Moscow further blames London for Nord Stream explosions

According to the Russian news agency Interfax, Peskov accused the European capitals of “criminal silence”.

British actions must have consequences.

Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin had previously said that "Anglo-Saxons" caused the explosions on the pipelines.

London immediately denied the allegations.

The Department of Defense spoke on Twitter of the "spreading of false claims of epic proportions".

However, Russia's allegations relate not only to Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, but also to drone attacks against the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia.

These were also controlled by British officers.

“Such actions cannot just stand still.

Of course we will think about further steps,” said Peskow.

According to Russia, the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea was attacked with a total of 16 drones.

The Russian Ministry of Defense had already made a connection between the events in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea on Saturday and specifically accused the British Navy.

So far, however, Moscow has not provided any evidence for the allegations.

Great Britain reacted with outrage to the allegations and rejected them.

Cell phone of British politician Truss hacked by Moscow

At the same time, it became known over the weekend that suspected Russian attackers had succeeded in hacking the mobile phone of then Foreign Minister and later Prime Minister Liz Truss in the summer.

Moscow is believed to have acquired secret messages with international allies as well as private conversations, the

wrote, citing multiple sources.

The hackers downloaded messages from up to a year ago, the

reported .

It was also sensitive information about the Ukraine conflict, such as arms deliveries.

Since the beginning of the war, relations between Moscow and London have also suffered from the fact that the British secret service has been publishing information on the course of the war in unprecedented form every day since February 24.

Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.

(cs/lz/jo with dpa/AFP)