“Russia Determines Timeframe for Extension of Ukrainian Grain Export Deal”

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Hours before the agreement expires at midnight Saturday-Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks broadcast on Turkish television, “After talks with both sides, we confirmed the extension of the agreement, which was supposed to expire on March 19.”

What did Russia say?

• Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mariazakharova published a copy of a letter from Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations saying that Moscow would not object to extending the agreement by 60 days until May 18.
• The letter stated, “The Russian side will not consider a further extension (of the agreement) after the specified date, unless tangible progress is made” on the issue of exporting Russian food and fertilizers.
• Russia says that although the West has not explicitly targeted these exports, sanctions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries create barriers.

Dispute about the duration

• Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov wrote on Twitter that the agreement would remain in force for 120 days.
• Russia had previously called for extending the agreement for only 60 days, which is half of the previous renewal period, while Ukraine was insisting on renewing the agreement for a period of 120 days.
• Ukraine and Russia are major suppliers of grain and fertilizers in the world.

Where’s the grain?

• Extending the deal would allow grain to flow from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where hunger is a growing threat and where high food prices push more people into poverty.

Agreement details

• The Black Sea Grain Initiative, the official name of the agreement on grain exports from Ukrainian ports, stems from a July 22 agreement between Russia, the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine.
• This initiative helped alleviate the global food crisis caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine.
• It was renewed in mid-November for a new 4-month period that ends this month.
• Under the agreement, ships heading to and from Ukraine are inspected in Turkish waters, and the four parties work together to approve and inspect ships sailing under the agreement.