Trusting Putin to free Black Sea is like believing in Santa Claus – POLITICO & More News Here – UP Jobs News

Officials in Kyiv and Brussels are skeptical that efforts to free hundreds of thousands of tons of Ukrainian grain being blockaded by Russia will succeed, even because the U.N., which is sponsoring the deal, touts progress.

Germany’s Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir on Monday mentioned believing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s assurances is akin to believing in “Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.”

“I don’t think that much will come of it because [it] is based on Putin’s word [which is] not worth the paper it’s written on,” Özdemir mentioned in Brussels as he arrived for a gathering of the EU’s agricultural ministers.

“If you still believe in Putin’s word, you might as well believe in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. That’s about as serious and just as fact-based,” he mentioned.

Özdemir’s skepticism comes regardless of negotiators from Turkey and the U.N. asserting a “basic, technical deal” between the warring sides in Istanbul final week, which might permit hundreds of thousands of tons of grain at the moment caught in Ukraine to be exported through the Black Sea to import-dependent international locations. Dozens of hungry nations all over the world which can be already struggling economically rely closely on grain imports from Ukraine.

Talks may inch ahead this week with U.N. Secretary General António Guterres elevating hopes of a ultimate deal as Putin is due to meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Iran on Tuesday.

The 4 sides will meet once more to signal a written deal in Istanbul subsequent week, in accordance to an individual with data of Turkey’s function in the negotiations. “We have to have a deal this time,” the individual mentioned. A U.N. spokesperson mentioned the following spherical of talks has not been introduced but however added that Guterres was prepared to attend “if needed.”

For now, though Ukraine publicly appreciated Turkey’s efforts, its officers are additionally adopting a skepticism-heavy wait-and-see strategy.

“I’m still quite reserved about the expectations,” Olga Trofimtseva, ambassador-at-large on the international affairs ministry in Kyiv, informed POLITICO.

“Why I’m not so optimistic in regards to the end result is due to two predominant components: I don’t belief Russia in any respect … and there are some troublesome technical points,” she mentioned, alluding to questions on how to de-mine Ukraine’s ports, deciding who conducts checks on the grain ships and the way a mooted coordination middle to be established in Istanbul would work in follow.

The largest situation, Trofimtseva mentioned, is the “firm security guarantees” Russia can present concerning the protection of Ukraine’s ports and ships. “There are many, many open issues at least for now,” she mentioned.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis mentioned the port of Odesa “has to be secured so that Russians would not attack it again.”

‘An situation of life and dying’

Özdemir additionally known as on the EU Commission to take a extra lively function in scaling up Ukraine’s exports by street and rail throughout its EU borders — though there is a broad consensus that land routes can not shift the identical portions of grain as Black Sea ships.

“Neighboring countries and individual member states cannot do this on their own. It needs the leadership of the Commission,” he mentioned, calling for Brussels to mastermind the creation of a “permanent alternative route” for Ukraine’s grain exports.

Addressing reporters earlier in the day, the EU’s international affairs chief Josep Borrell acknowledged that land-based export routes are “not enough.”

He continued: “So I hope, and I think I have hope, that this week it will be possible to reach an agreement to de-block Odesa and other Ukrainian ports.”

“The lives of tens of thousands of people depend on this agreement. So, it is not a diplomatic game, it is an issue of life and death for many human beings.”

Leonie Kijewski and Camille Gijs contributed reporting.

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