Russia is in favor of extending Ukraine’s grain export deal, but only for 60 days, not 120, as happened before, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said after negotiations at the UN on Monday.
“The Russian side (…) is not against an extension of the ‘Black Sea Initiative’ after the expiry of the second term on March 18, but only for 60 days”said the minister in a written statement to the press.
Also this Monday, the adviser to the Ukrainian head of state, Daria Zarivna, said the agreement on the export of grains should be indefinite, arguing that Ukraine guarantees food to “400 million people around the world”.
“The agreement should be renewed. It should be indefinite, because Ukraine guarantees food security for 400 million people around the world,” said Zarivna, quoted by the agency Ukrinform.
“During the term of the grain agreement, about 23 million tons of food has been exported by Ukraine. For our part, we have transparent, clear and clear agreements with the UN and Turkey,” said the adviser.
In the same statement, Daria Zarivna accuses Russia of “doing everything” to avoid extending the export deal.
Zarivna stressed that Russia is taking an obstructive stance with the aim of “eliminating a competitor in the world market” and “weakening the Ukrainian economy”.
Ukraine, the United Nations and Turkey agreed with Moscow on November 17 last year to extend the “Initiative for Safe Transport of Agricultural Products across the Black Sea” agreement for a period of 120 days.
The start of the pact took place on June 22, 2022, with the first ship carrying Ukrainian grains leaving the port of Odessa, on the Black Sea, on August 1.
The current agreement is valid until March 18, when the extension is to be formalized by both parties, but there are no full guarantees on the renewal of the pact yet.
The transport of grains and other Ukrainian agricultural products has been drastically affected by the military invasion of Russia that began in February last year.
Source: DN
