Agreement yes, but with nuances. The news of the day in international code is the pact – or intentions Russia and Ukraine regarding the cessation of military actions in the Black Sea, that would greatly relieve the flow of merchant ships by both.
This would mean a before and after – although momentary – in the conflict, but it seems that not everything will be so easy, and less with Russia as a direct protagonist. As reported by Kremlin in a statement, its definitive ‘yes’ to the agreement will be conditioned by the lifting of western sanctions that fall on the Russian agricultural sector.
Among them is The reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank, Rosseljozbank, to the Swift; and other similar financial entities the lifting of sanctions to spare parts and equipment for agricultural machinery and the service unlock Port of merchant ships that participate in the export of food and Russian fertilizers.
In the same note, it is also specified that Russia considers the lifting of the restrictions to the financial operations linked to trade, companies that produce and market food and fertilizers, and also to insurers operating in that sector. Only under these premises, Russia will approve the agreement to which Putin and Trump arrived last week by telephone and during their meeting in Riad.
For its part, Moscow has also announced that it undertakes to give up military force and thus accepts the transfer of merchant ships for military purposes. This agreement would mean The resumption of the application of the Black Sea initiative, activates between June 2022 and July 2023.
Why is the black sea so important for Russia
But if it scratches a little more, it can be understood in a much more obvious way the transcendence of the Black Sea for Russia. First for its strategic importance, since it is considered as a “gateway” to the rest of the world. And this can be verified with what happened in 2014, When Russia got the control of the Crimea Peninsulawhich allowed him to get the Ukrainian ports of the region, next to the anchored ships.
Second, another important factor is the power that gives possession of this sea, since it allows Get with commercial routes and thus be able to obstruct trade and energy supplies From third countries, and finally but not less important, it also allows Russia to influence adjoining regions that can be found under the NATO radar, thus depriving them of their own autonomy.
This issue has great importance -and serves as justification for Russia -, since the proximity of NATO bases, according to Moscow, have increasingly cornering their borders and From Kremlin they point out that they endanger its commercial and economic integrity. And it is precisely because of what Russia demands its sovereignty about the Black Sea, since it accuses the West of having weakened its economic, political and military influence during the Limiting Black Sea territories in the last 20 years.
This is mainly due to the presence of Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye, armed countries and belonging to NATO that, like Russia, also have great interests in the Black Sea and They are the only ones that are permanently present in it.
Russian main concerns regarding the agreement
The problem in this negotiation lies in the null trust that Kremlin has in Zelenski: “Our position is simple: we cannot trust that person’s word,” Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia explained. In this sense, Moscow sees the United States It issues “an order to the Ukrainian President and his team to do so (accept the agreement) in that way and not another.”
Therefore, Lavrov stressed that the fundamental thing is to obtain “clear guarantees” that Ukraine meets the pact required by Russia and was very clear about its requests to Washington: “It seems to me that our American partners captured our signal.” And he insisted that, “as the President (Putin) said we are in favor of the resumption of the Black Sea initiative, although in a more acceptable format for all ” and warned that this time “there will be no ambiguity.”
“We want the cereal and fertilizer market Russia’s conditions is “the food situation in Africa countries” and ensures that Prices would be much lower if west would stop interfering in the game of free market forces. “
