Not yet decided to extend grain deal with Ukraine: Moscow
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Putin signs the decree recognising the 'Donetsk People's Republic' and the 'Lugansk People's Republic' in Moscow (Image Credit: Sputnik/Alexey Nikolsky/Kremlin via Reuters)
Moscow: Russian administration said on Thursday that Moscow has not yet decided whether to extend its participation in the Ukraine drain deal, which is going to expire later in November, Agence France-Presse reported.
Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Kremlin needs to do an overall assessment of the effectiveness of the deal
The grain deal was brokered by the United Nations, along with Turkey, and signed by Ukraine and Russia. The deal, signed in July this year, will expire on November 19.
After a drone attack on its Black Sea fleet in Crimea, Russia quit the deal for four days. It only resumed the agreement on Wednesday, saying that Ukraine had given it security guarantees on demilitarizing a maritime corridor.
Peskov stated Russia returning to the deal does not necessarily mean the deal would be extended. He said that Russia trusted Ukraine's guarantee because it was brokered by Turkey.
"Turkey's participation in this was the main factor for trust (in the guarantees)," AFP quoted him. He said that the work of Ankara and its military diplomats, as well as President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, is highly valued by Russia.
Putin had threatened to dissolve the deal on Wednesday, too, saying that the same would happen if Kyiv violated the guarantees.