Grain Agreement:The hope of negotiations is now obsolete
On August 1, 2022, the Razoni sailed towards Sierra Leone, fully loaded with Ukrainian grain. Less than four months later, Putin ended the agreement that made these exports possible.
(Photo: Uncredited/dpa)
The reason given by Putin to terminate the agreement shows that the Kremlin chief wants to continue working with his most effective weapon: the unmistakable threat against Kiev’s supporters.
Commentary by Tomas Avenarius
Vladimir Putin is rightly under general suspicion given his attack on Ukraine, his nuclear bomb threats and continued lies. So his cancellation of the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain gives reason for skepticism. Putin justifies ending the only diplomatic rapprochement in this senseless war with a Ukrainian drone strike on the Black Sea Fleet. He accuses the British secret service of practically carrying arms with the Ukrainians. And incidentally, the British are said to have blown up the North Stream gas pipeline a few weeks ago.
The Kremlin ruler does not provide any evidence. Putin can hardly be surprised that Kiev’s armed forces are attacking Russian warships off Crimea. His wartime opponents already sunk the Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, the “Moskva”, in the summer. And that the British and Kyiv are not only supplying weapons, but are at least helping the Ukrainians with reconnaissance and logistics, the sparrows whistle from the Kremlin rooftops.
What does Putin want? On the one hand, it makes hope for negotiations obsolete: the grain agreement was seen as a launching pad for talks mediated by the UN and Turkey. On the other hand, the threat to Kiev’s supporters is unmistakable. A direct involvement of British soldiers in a Ukrainian attack could provide the justification for a war between Russia and NATO. Putin will hardly want that. But his threats are his most powerful weapons.