The Secretary General of the United Nations Organization (UN), António Guterres, arrived in Kiev on Wednesday, where he will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, a spokesman for the organization confirmed on Twitetr.
general secretary @antonioguterres It’s in Kyiv. Later today, will meet @ZelenskyyUa in kyiv to discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, as well as other relevant issues.
– UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) March 8, 2023
The purpose of the visit is to discuss the maintenance of the agreement with Russia for the export of cereals through the Black Sea, among other matters.
The so-called Black Sea Agreement, which facilitates the exit of Ukrainian cereals and other food products to international markets, was one of the main initiatives of the UN in the context of the war and will expire on March 18, unless all the parties agree to extend it.
Russia announced on Sunday that it is ready to maintain the grain export agreement if the other participants apply it on an equal footing.
The agreements were signed in several parts because Ukraine refused to jointly sign with Russia and were concluded on July 22 last year in Istanbul, with the aim of allowing Ukraine (one of the world’s largest producers) to export grain and other products. through the Black Sea. .
Another agreement, between Russia and the United Nations, determined that the United Nations will take steps to lift various restrictions on exports of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to the world market.
The grain deal was extended in November for another 120 days and expired on March 18.
Last Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the deal was not working and accused the West of not abiding by the Russia-related part of the deals.
According to the ministry, around 262,000 tons of fertilizers that Russia planned to donate to poorer countries are blocked at ports in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and the Netherlands, and only a batch of 20,000 tons can be shipped to Malawi.
This is Guterres’s third visit to Ukraine in the last year and the UN secretary-general is expected to return to New York on Thursday.
Source: TSF
