German Agriculture Min likens Putin's grain deal commitment to 'believing in Santa Claus'

As Kremlin agreed to sign a formal document to felicitate the export of blockaded Ukrainian grain in Istanbul, with the United Nations and Turkey's mediation efforts, officials in Brussels and Ukraine appeared skeptical about Russia's commitment. Germany's Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir on July 18 said that Russian President Vladimir Putin's assurances are similar 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 said in Brussels, according to Politico. 

"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," said German Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir. 

'I’m not so optimistic..': German official 

The German official's doubts came despite Russia's assurances that it is ready to cooperate with Turkey and the UN to strike a "basic, technical deal" in Istanbul that would allow millions of tons of grain to pass via the ports in Black Sea. “Why I’m not so optimistic about the outcome is because of two main factors: I don’t trust Russia at all … and there are some difficult technical issues," she said, adding that Russia had laid blame of port blockade on Ukrainians scattering mines in Black Sea.

"Of course an agreement will require implementation, and our expectations are not too high," Leonid Slutsky, Moscow-appointed leader of Russia’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) said. Slutsky, who is a part of the Russian delegation working on the Black Sea Initiative outcome document, further clarified that even though an agreement may be signed as early as next week in Istanbul, this would, in no way, imply a resumption of dialogue with Ukrainian officials on the subject of the special military operation in Ukraine. 

But even as Russian delegation's negotiation with the UN Secretary General António Guterres, Turkey, and Ukraine raises some hope of a deal to resolve the ongoing food crisis, the European leaders are demonstrating skepticism about Kremlin's intentions. “I’m still quite reserved about the expectations,” Olga Trofimtseva, ambassador-at-large at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Kyiv told Politico. 

Image: AP