Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that the attack on the Crimean Bridge and Russia's refusal to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative were not connected because Russian President Vladimir Putin's stance on the matter had been announced before the incident.
"These are absolutely unrelated events. You know that President Putin stated the stance before this terrorist attack," Peskov told reporters.
According to Russian foreign ministry, today Moscow has officially informed Ukraine, Turkiye and the UN Secretariat that it opposes any extension of the grain deal.
"Notification has been received in Istanbul," the source told Sputnik.
According to reports, Ankara expressed regret over Russia's decision and plans to discuss the deal during Vladimir Putin's expected visit to Turkiye.