Western officials who publicly declare their rejection of any deals with the Kremlin are in fact already holding non-public talks with Moscow, as well as urging bankers, insurers, and logisticians not to overdo sanctions compliance.. It is reported by Bloomberg, citing sources..

The goal of closed talks with Moscow is to unblock grain trade in the Black Sea region, as well as avert starvation that threatens millions in Africa and the Middle East, the agency says..

At the same time, the purpose of the negotiations is the supply of not only Ukrainian, but also Russian products to the world market..

These efforts are part of complex and difficult negotiations involving the United Nations to increase the supply of fertilizers, grains and other agricultural products from Russia and Ukraine, which were interrupted by the invasion of President Vladimir Putin in his southern neighbor..

As the agency points out, the West, in particular, is balancing between the fact that Russia accounts for almost a fifth of fertilizer exports (according to 2021 data), but at the same time that more than 25 million tons of grain, sunflower oil and other.

At the same time, Western officials believe that the situation will become even more difficult with the start of a new crop..

Based on these considerations, according to the agency, White House officials are already in closed talks on easing sanctions against Russia, which have affected, among other things, the supply of fertilizers.. For example, such negotiations took place this month.

" People familiar with the situation, on condition of anonymity, say that issues that are not public are being discussed.. Insufficient fertilizer supplies this year could affect next year's harvest..

In addition, the US administration is discussing the purchase of Russian fertilizers with transport companies and agricultural producers..

The U.S. government is secretly encouraging agricultural and shipping companies to buy and ship more Russian fertilizer, according to people familiar with their efforts, as fears of sanctions have led to a sharp drop in supplies, leading to skyrocketing global food prices..

All these efforts are running up against the fact that Putin continues to blame Ukraine for its reluctance to remove mines from ports that have been planted to protect them from possible attacks by Russian troops..

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And Kyiv says it's not convinced by Moscow's assurances it won't strike, noting that Russia also insisted before the war that it wouldn't invade..

In addition, according to the UN, the clearance of Ukrainian ports may take months..

At the same time, according to Bloomberg, the Kremlin also requires the United States to guarantee buyers and suppliers of fertilizers and grains that they are not subject to sanctions..

“It is very important for Russia that the US authorities send a clear signal that these deals are allowed and in the interests of global food security, and that they should not be abandoned,” says the Kremlin sanctions specialist, founder of the Russian Council on Foreign Affairs.

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Russia also enlisted the support of Turkey regarding the need to ease sanctions. True, Ankara's efforts to mediate in resolving the issue of resuming supplies have not yet yielded results..

Officials in the EU and US are also surprised that their willingness to ease sanctions is running into caution among fertilizer and grain buyers and suppliers..

" But many shippers, banks and insurers refrain from trading for fear they might inadvertently break the rules.. U.S. officials, surprised by this degree of caution, are in the paradoxical position of trying to find ways to stimulate them..

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Recall that at the same time, while the West is trying to appease Russia, Ukraine has developed two routes for grain exports.

Earlier, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, also said that the European Union is trying to find an alternative way to export 20 million tons of grain from Ukraine..