Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's permanent representative to the U.N., disclosed yesterday that Russia had agreed to extend the Black Sea grain agreement for another two months even though the Western powers had refused to implement the agreement.

While Russia has cooperated with Ukraine and Turkey to get Ukraine's grain out through the Black Sea and the Straits, the Western powers have done nothing to implement the second part of the agreement, namely, the bit about lifting sanctions in order to allow Russia to ship out its grain and fertilizers. Remember the hysteria of a few months back? We were told that the world was on the brink of widespread famine unless the ports of Ukraine--the supposed "bread-basket of the world"--were immediately unblocked and the "20 million tons" of grain warehoused there were shipped out to feed the world's hungry.

Well, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, under U.N. auspices, worked out an agreement whereby Ukraine got its grain out. But, apparently, the world just wasn't hungry enough to entice the Western powers to lift their sanctions and allow Russia--the true "bread-basket of the world"--to ship its grain out. Though that was a key part of the agreement negotiated by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Western countries cheerfully forgot about it.

The Western media blare that the E.U. and the U.S. did not impose sanctions on food and that therefore Russia is lying when it complains about sanctions. That isn't true. There are sanctions on shipping and insurance. With those sanctions in place, Russia is unable to export its grain. As for the grain from Ukraine, it did not go to feed the world's hungry, but went instead to Europe's farmers in order to feed their animals so as to make those very tasty (and expensive) hams. Not that Europe's farmers were happy about the sudden dumping of Ukrainian grain in European markets. The E.U. is already waging war on Europe's farmers who are supposedly guilty of contributing to global warming.

Anyway, Russia now feels betrayed and is threatening not to renew the agreement in two months' time. This is really getting very tedious: Why would Russia have ever thought that the Western powers were sincere about implementing the Black Sea grain agreement? Because they were so punctilious about implementing Minsk? Of course, they were insincere about sending the grain to Africa. And of course they were insincere about lifting sanctions on Russia. Of course it was a scam. How many more times are Russians going to be taken in by Western perfidy?

Does Russia really think anything will change in two months' time? It seems as if, despite all the talk of Russia's making a final break with the West, nothing much has changed. Russia still treats the Western powers as "partners" or "colleagues." Any bets that, come May, Russia will, after much grumbling and complaining, renew the agreement for another two months? And, needless to say, we will hear warnings: "This is positively the last time we will renew!"

Why would the West take those threats any more seriously than any other of Russia's threats and supposed "red lines"?

https://russiaun.ru/en/news/170323_n