Page 50 - RusRPTApr23

Russia says it will only extend the Black Sea grain corridor for 60 days, a decision that Ukraine says breaks the terms of the agreement. Moscow made the announcement on March 13 following a visit from UN Secretary-General António Guterres to Kyiv last week amidst concerns that Russia will fail to renew the agreement for another 120 days once it ends on March 18. Russia claims the decision is because its fertiliser exports and agricultural interests are not being taken into consideration, saying that after the recent discussion “barriers still remain in the way of Russian agricultural exporters.”
UN representatives recognize the validity of Russia’s complaints about restrictions levied by Western countries on exports of Russian food and fertiliser, so Moscow wants concrete actions to unblock them, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on Tuesday. "UN representatives recognized the validity of our complaints and promised to continue and intensify their efforts. But we don’t need mere promises and words. We have had enough of them," he said.
The G20 negotiations ended without a common position on the Russian war against Ukraine. The G20 foreign ministers ended their meeting in New Delhi without a consensus on the war in Ukraine because of their "differences of opinion," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said. But, according to him, the countries were able to form a consensus on many issues, such as strengthening multilateralism, promoting food and energy security, climate change, gender issues, and the fight against terrorism. As for Ukraine, China and Russia refused to sign a resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calling on it to withdraw its troops. The joint communiqué that was issued following the meeting, which the Russian Federation and China did not sign, states that the war in Ukraine continues to harm the global economy, and the vast majority of the world’s countries support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemn the Russian aggression.
Putin signs law suspending major nuclear treaty with US. Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a law officially suspending Russia's participation in the New START treaty on Feb. 28. He first announced the suspension during his state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly and members of the Russian political elite on Feb. 21.
Blinken, Lavrov meet at G20 summit. According to CNN, the meeting lasted only ten minutes, during which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed once again that the U.S. will continue supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes.”
Scholz meets with Biden in Washington to discuss Ukraine. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C. on March 3 to primarily discuss the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported. Scholz reiterated that it was important to continue supporting Ukraine "as long as it
50 RUSSIA Country Report Russia April 2023 www.intellinews.com