Russian official: West begins to realise refusal of Russian fertilisers bad choice

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Viktoria Abramchenko has said that unfriendly countries started to realise that abandoning Russian mineral fertilisers would not end well and the West is already easing up on its rhetoric to resume trade.

"As for mineral fertilisers, my observations over the last year showed that unfriendly states have begun to realise that it is impossible to refuse mineral fertilisers, including Russian, as it will end badly. There are already some changes in the official position of unfriendly countries in order to resume such trade and the rhetoric is softening," Abramchenko told Sputnik.

On July 22, 2022, the deal brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations was signed by Ukraine and Russia to unblock shipments of grain, food and fertiliser in the Black Sea despite hostilities. The agreement was initially set to expire on November 19, with a possibility of extension if signatories consent. It was extended for 120 days on November 17.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that most vessels carrying Ukrainian grain do not reach the world's poorest countries and have ended up in Europe. Putin has also voiced concerns that Russian grain and fertiliser products are not entering the global markets as stipulated by the agreement.

According to Russian Ambassador to Türkiye Alexei Yerkhov, Latvia, Estonia and Belgium continue to keep Russian agricultural products in ports, while the resumption of ammonia supplies is blocked by Kyiv.