Russia demands lifting of sanctions against major agricultural bank for continuation of grain deal - Foreign Ministry

This was reported by Olga Trofimtseva, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, on Espreso.

"I do not expect a breakthrough from today's round of talks. The Russians continue to increase pressure on all parties. It was announced last night that a meeting of technical delegations will be held today, and then, depending on the results, there may be talks at the level of deputy defense ministers. The main demand of the Russian Federation, as far as I know, is the lifting of sanctions (pre-connection to the SWIFT international payment system) of the main Russian agricultural bank," she said.

Ambassador added that the main payments for exports, including agricultural products, are made through this bank.

"The sanctions are working and Russia feels very uncomfortable with the disconnection from SWIFT. We will see how the meeting of technical delegations with UN representatives goes. Turkey remains of the opinion that the agreement should work - it has a direct interest. It is also supported by China, which is a major buyer of Ukrainian grain and oilseeds," Trofimtseva said.