Status: 03/18/2023 3:57 p.m
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to extend the grain deal. This was announced by Turkish President Erdogan. However, there is still disagreement about the duration of the extension.
A few hours before the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain expired, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the extension of the grain agreement: “After talks with both sides, we promised to extend the agreement, which was due to expire on March 19,” said him in a televised speech. However, Erdogan did not initially provide information on the duration of the extension.
The government in Ankara had previously said that it hoped for a 120-day extension. Russia, on the other hand, insisted on an extension of just 60 days. However, the text provides for an automatic extension of 120 days if no party objects.
A change to the agreement, which would also include a new 60-day period, would have to be confirmed by all parties involved and cannot be announced unilaterally.
UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths told the UN Security Council in New York on Friday that everything would be done to ensure the continuation. One is in contact with the parties involved Russia, Ukraine and Turkey, said Griffiths. The Grains Agreement is vital to global food security, said the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator.
Moscow feels hampered by Western sanctions
After the war of aggression against Ukraine began a good year ago, the Russian Navy also blocked the neighboring country’s Black Sea ports. The agreement on the Black Sea Grain Initiative was mediated by the United Nations and Turkey in July 2022 and provides for the release of Ukrainian ports for grain exports, among other things.
Moscow feels hampered by Western sanctions in its own exports of grain and fertilizer. Although the sanctions do not target food exports, their existence makes it difficult for Russian actors to call at European ports, process payments and obtain insurance for their ships.