Putin wants the leaders to negotiate with him, but not because of grain problems, but to play for time - Ukrainian analyst

He expressed his opinion on Espreso TV. 

“We all rely on Moscow's narratives, because Moscow told the whole world that grain is the answer to the attack on Sevastopol. Now they are promoting it and will demand the demilitarization of Ukrainian ports so that there are no troops there. The issue here is not in Sevastopol and not in grain. Because there is the following problem that we formulated. Namely, since September 18-19, the waiting time for inspections of the Joint Coordination Center in the Sea of ​​Marmara increased five times. At first, the waiting time was 2 days, then it became 9-11 days, and now 20-21,” the Editor-in-Chief of the BlackSeaNew portal said.

Andrii Klymenko explained that it started after Putin's visit to Samarkand on September 15-16 for the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization - Ed.) Summit, and a few days later he signed a decree on mobilization in the Russian Federation and changed the commander of the Russian army. That is, from September 15 to 20, the Russian Federation decided on a new stage of the war.

“On the same dates, the Russian delegation in Istanbul was given a command not to go to meetings of the Joint Coordination Center and not to go on inspections. And only today, the number of inspection groups has increased, which began to stretch the queue of about 200 vessels that have accumulated there over time. That is, it is a component of the war, and it is not about Sevastopol and not about grain.  Putin is changing the strategy and tactics of the war, he wants to hold the newly occupied territories, at least the left bank from Kherson to almost Zaporizhzhia, including the Zaporizhzhia NPP, Donbas and the land route to Crimea, and turn this war into years,” the analyst noted.

Klymenko noted that this is why mobilization, missile terror of energy facilities, and the termination of the grain corridor were needed. That is, Putin wants the leaders to start talking to him about something, and he needs these conversations not for grain, but to play for time as Russia needs to train, arm and relocate the mobilized soldiers. 

• On October 29, the Russian Federation announced the "suspension" of its obligations under the agreement regarding the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

• The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is sure that the Russian aggressor decided to disrupt the grain agreement back in September.

• On October 30, NATO and the EU called on Russia to urgently return to the grain agreement.