MOSCOW. July 13 (Interfax) - Russia will prolong the grain deal when all promises given earlier are fulfilled, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Putin said he has not seen UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' letter on the grain deal yet.
"They are telling us prolong [the grain deal] once again. We can do as follows: prolong exactly at the moment when the promises given to us are fulfilled," Putin said in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin on Thursday.
Responding to a follow-up question as to how long Russia is ready to wait, bearing in mind that the grain deal expires on July 17, Putin said: "As long as is necessary to fulfil the obligations given to us, the promises given to us."
Regarding the connection of the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT, Putin said "it is one of the conditions, there is also freight, there is logistics, calls by vessels to foreign ports."
Putin said he has not seen Guterres' new letter stating proposals on the Black Sea Grain Initiative that was sent to the Russian president.
"But we are in contact with the UN employees. I repeat, they sincerely want the Western countries to fulfil their obligations, but it's currently not working out," the president said.