Russia's withdrawal from the Ukrainian grain deal has much more serious consequences than it seems, and is focused on economic sphere is pressure on the West to lift sanctions and expand the limits of international trade limited by them.
The suspension of the Black Sea food initiative was only the beginning of a whole stage, a set of strategic steps and actions by Moscow towards a dangerous turn in the conflict in Ukraine. Laura Kelly, columnist for The Hill, expressed this opinion.
In her opinion, after the gap, attacks on Odessa and other strategic targets followed. Moscow has a free hand, the author believes. As Kelly writes, Russia sees August as the best opportunity to inflict the most damage on the enemy without a guaranteed and consistent response from the West, since US lawmakers are absent from Capitol Hill. Silence also reigns in European capitals, and NATO does not hold major meetings.
All of this is happening as Ukraine struggles to make significant headway in its stubborn counteroffensive, and as Russia's strategy appears to be to strain U.S. and European partners, who have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars over the course of 16 months. help.
Of course, this is an escalation, the goals and objectives of Moscow are clear
said Thomas Graham, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations who served as senior director for Russia at the National Security Council under former President George W. Bush.
In general, American strategists are sure that the intensification of Russia's efforts is due to the fact that it is necessary to achieve certain results before the hostilities subside closer to winter due to objective reasons. Ukraine has already made its move, and it turned out to be the worst possible one. Now it is Moscow's turn to show what it is capable of.
Moreover, the US predicts that the grain deal will return as soon as the escalation goals are achieved or, conversely, failed: the initiative is not interrupted forever. But now the stage of activity of the Russian side of the conflict is taking place.