The agreement on creating a safe naval corridor for Ukrainian grain exports signed by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN has been extended by 60 days, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko announced.
“Russia’s deputy minister [of foreign affairs Sergey Vershinin] who oversees the deal made a statement yesterday. Indeed, the deal has been extended for 60 days. Its package nature has been reiterated,” he said.
According to the official, Russia “will continue to insist that all grain deal provisions be implemented”. Grushko also said that the agreement was extended under the original conditions.
Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the UN signed the grain deal on 22 July 2022. The parties agreed to create a safe naval corridor for commercial vessels to leave Ukraine’s seaports and travel across the Black Sea. The deal was expiring on 18 March.
Earlier, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin announced that Russia does not object to extending the grain deal beyond 18 March but only for a 60-day period. According to him, the future position will be determined with regards to the “real progress” achieved in normalising Moscow’s agricultural exports.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov slammed the Russian decision to offer a 60-day extension of the grain deal, an initiative that unblocked Ukraine’s agricultural exports from the country’s Black Sea ports, as going against the agreement signed by Turkey and the UN because it envisions an automatic 120-day extension if the parties do not have any complaints.
The UN said that the organisation had taken notice of “the announcement made today by the Russian Federation regarding an extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative for 60 days”. According to the UN, the grain deal made it possible to export 24 million tonnes of grain and carry out more than 1,600 safe and secure ship voyages across the Black Sea, while 55% of the agricultural deliveries were sent to developing countries.
