The agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea has been extended by two months, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday.
Erdogan said it was decided to extend the grain agreement reached in July 2022 for two more months.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that “many unanswered questions” needed to be resolved before the deal could be extended.
The agreement of the UN, Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey, signed in July last year, enabled the export of more than 30 million tons of Ukrainian grain in the last ten months and helped alleviate the world food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. It was previously renewed for 60 days on March 19.
The current renewal is supposed to be valid for 120 days, but the Russian authorities agreed to only 60 days.
Moscow said that while Ukrainian grain exports continue, Russian fertilizer and food exports remain hampered by obstacles linked to sanctions imposed by Western countries over Russia’s offensive against Ukraine.
A Ban on Any New Ships Exporting Grain Across the Black Sea
During the negotiations on grain exports, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations (UN) were unable to reach a consensus or agreement.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said that no new ship had been authorized to export grain across the Black Sea and added that daily inspections of previously approved ships continue, Reuters reports, citing Mina.
The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that the four parties held a technical meeting in Istanbul on the upcoming negotiations on the grain agreement.
Agreements on food export from Ukraine were concluded on July 22 last year for 120 days and were extended in November for another 120 days.
In March of this year, Russian authorities announced that the agreement was being extended for 60 days, warning that this would be enough time to assess the effectiveness of the memorandum Russia signed with the UN.
