Correspondent Geert Groot Koerkamp about the meeting:

“Russia hopes that the new grain agreement will ease certain sanctions. The country left the agreement last July. It’s clear that Russia is not satisfied. The last extension was extremely difficult, and only lasted for sixty days. Russia is now using various pretexts to enforce this relaxation.

For example, Russia emphasizes that wheat does not reach the poorest countries in Africa. But that’s also not something other parties are interested in; it is more of an effort to not let wheat prices rise around the world, which is also important for poor countries. In addition, Russia said Russia’s demands had not been met. For example, Russian banks are not connected to the Swift payment system. Although banks can also function without that system, just a little slower than usual. Russia also said that Ukraine used safe corridors to carry out attacks on Russian targets in the Black Sea.

Putin will continue to insist on meeting Russia’s current demands. But the question is whether he has many choices; he is under pressure from Türkiye and China. These are two countries that are very important for Russia in the current situation and at the same time important buyers of Ukrainian wheat. They have been pressuring Russia to agree to the deal. And precisely because of the importance of these countries for Russia, it seems clear that Putin will listen to their arguments carefully.”