Workers load grain on a ship at a grain port in Izmayil, Ukraine.
The European Union may restore access to the SWIFT payment system for a Russian state agricultural bank only after the conflict in Ukraine ends, the Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano as saying on May 22. Last week, the Black Sea grain deal to allow safe passage of Ukrainian farm produce was extended for two more months. But Moscow says it wants to see more progress on implementing parts of the package affecting Russia, including readmitting Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT.
