Chatting it Over in Riyadh: High Stakes on Resurrecting the 2022 Grain Deal
U.S. Negotiations in Riyadh Conclude Following 12 Hours of Discussions with Russian Counterparts - Discussion between U.S. representatives and Russians called off following a 12-hour meeting in Riyadh
Here's the scoop: negotiators from the US have been hangin' out in a hotel in the heart of Riyadh, pushin' for a potential revival of that 2022 agreement all about securin' transportation of Ukrainian farm goods via the Black Sea. According to the Kremlin, that's the dealio. The Yanks had already gone toe-to-toe with Ukraine talking about grain exports the day prior.
Soon as the Russian inception started, an agreement got cooked up on exportin' Ukrainian grain from those blocked seaports through the Black Sea. It was all mediated by Turkey and the UN. That agreement shuffled off its mortal coil last year when Russia declined to re-up in '23, claimin' the West was draggin' its feet on easin' sanctions on Russian agri-exports.
Steve Witkoff, the US Special Envoy, spilled the beans to Fox News on the weekend that he was hopin' for some meaningful progress, especially 'round a possible Black Sea ceasefire. He said, "Naturally, if we can score a victory there, the talks would then aim for a full cessate-fire."
Riyadh USA Ukraine Russia Moscow Black Sea Transport
The 411:
It's that time again, folks! There's a conversation brewin' about revivin' the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, a plan aimin' to keep Ukrainian agriculture products movin' through the Black Sea durin' the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The original to-do, brokered by the UN and Turkey, granted safe passage for Ukrainian grain until Russia packed up and left in July of last year.
Recent dialogues have been goin' down between US, Russian, and Ukrainian delegates, with Russia expressin' keen interest in jumpin' back into the fray. But it ain't all about the Ukrainian agri-exports, 'cause Ukraine's been buildin' up alternative routes for their grain, eliminatin' the need for Russia's help[1][2]. If the agreement gets resurrected, it'll probably just formalize the current setup, bringin' some PR perks rather than drastically changin' the exportin' circus[2].
The hang-ups in talks consist of Russia's demands for sanctions relief and ease-ups on their agri-trade situation, like reconnectin' their state agri-bank to the SWIFT system and the return of ammonia exports[2]. Meanwhile, Ukraine's askin' for security guarantees at their ports[1]. Even with these developments, the Black Sea agri-export scene's been hangin' tough with Ukraine steadily movin' grain without Kremlin blessin'[2].
As it stands, there's no final agreement out of Riyadh, and the status of the negotiations is still unclear. Stay tuned, folks!
- The European Union may decide to adopt new legislation concerning the export of Ukrainian grain, given the ongoing negotiations aiming to resurrect the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative.
- Despite Russia's reported interest in resuming the agreement, the current negotiations in Riyadh appear to be intense, with demands including sanctions relief and easing agri-trade restrictions from Russia and security guarantees at Ukrainian ports from Ukraine.
- In the midst of these talks, Ukrainian farmers have apparently been successfully transporting grain via alternative routes, thus hinting at a possibility of the new agreement only formalizing the current situation rather than significantly altering the export circumstances.
