U.S. announces readiness to help Russia have grain deal requirements fulfilled

U.S. State Department sanctions coordinator Ambassador James O'Brien spoke of this at a briefing on Friday, Ukrinform reports.

"The first point is that Russia needs to be clear what it is asking for. It has put forth a number of different demands, all of them having to do with various Russian institutions not getting services from the private sector. And we have made clear that we’re prepared to help on any of these matters, but it’s not clear what Russia regards as success," O'Brien said.

He noted that the problems expressed by Russia relate to specific Russian commercial organizations, which experience difficulties with private sector suppliers in the West.

O'Brien also noted that Ukraine exported almost 60 million tons of grain over the past six to eight months. “Thirty-two million tons of that went through the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, where large ships could move from Odesa out to the global markets,” he said.

He emphasized that he remains optimistic that Ukrainian grain will reach global markets.

"It will take us some time. It’s going to involve some costs, but we cannot allow Russia to have a stranglehold over the Black Sea. This is an effort Russia’s undertaken under many governments for a long time. They are attempting to do it again. They will not succeed in this case," O'Brien said.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian food exports are a key factor in the stability of food markets, so the Ukrainian government works with partners to ensure global food security.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), global food prices climbed by 1.3% in July after Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and new restrictions on rice trade in India.