Kremlin rebuffs UN chief's call to return to Black Sea grain deal

FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference at the diplomatic lounge of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti July 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ralph Teddy Erol/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Tuesday it was impossible for Russia to return to the Black Sea grain export deal until an agreement related to Russian interests was honoured, rebuffing a call by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres for Moscow to rejoin.

Guterres on Monday urged Russia to resume allowing Ukraine to export grain safely from its seaports despite what Russia calls its "special military operation", in line with a proposal he had made to President Vladimir Putin.