Russia and the UN agree to extend the grain deal for 60 days
Russia questions further extension of the agreement
Russia and the UN have agreed to extend the grain deal with Ukraine for 60 days after talks in Geneva.
Source. This was reported by CNN with reference to Russian state media.
"Our Russian interdepartmental delegation has just completed another round of talks with UN representatives led by UNCTAD Secretary-General R. Greenspan and OCHA Chairman M. Griffiths," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said at a briefing on Monday.
He added that Moscow agreed to extend the current grain agreement, which runs until March 18, for another 60 days.
"But only for 60 days," Vershinin said. "All further grain policy will depend on real – based not on what is said, but on what is done – progress in normalizing our agricultural exports, including bank settlements, transport logistics, insurance, unfreezing of financial activities and continuation of ammonia supplies through the Togliatti-Odesa pipeline.
Ukraine and Russia are important suppliers of food to the world. Before the war, Ukraine, known as one of the world's breadbaskets, exported about three-quarters of its grain. According to the European Commission, about 90% of these exports were shipped by sea from Ukraine's Black Sea ports. Thus, the war and its impact on grain exports have serious implications, especially in the global South, which is heavily dependent on these supplies.
Background. According to US forecasts, Ukraine will harvest 21 million tons of wheat in 2023.
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