Reuters: Grain deal extension talks set for May 3

Negotiations on the extension of the grain deal are scheduled for May 3, they will be attended by all parties to the agreement, reported Reuters agency, citing a source in Kyiv.

“Negotiations are scheduled for tomorrow. All parties … I hope there will be results,” he said.

Negotiations between Moscow, Kyiv and Ankara to extend the grain deal “in the coming days” April 30 announced Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. According to him, they will be held at the level of ministers.

The grain deal was extended in mid-March until May 18. On April 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the situation around the agreement went into a dead end. The minister pointed to the unwillingness to remove obstacles to the export of Russian fertilizers, despite their shortage, and also to connect Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT. Also in the Kremlin called the prospects for extending the agreement are “not very good”.

At the same time, Moscow’s claims to the implementation of the deal are justified considered also in Ankara. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on April 28 that “what was promised to Russia as part of the deal has not been fulfilled.”

The grain deal was concluded on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Turkey and the UN on the one hand, and representatives of Russia and Ukraine on the other. Separate agreements were signed with Moscow and Kiev: the first was for the export of Ukrainian grain from three ports, including Odessa, Yuzhny and Chernomorsk, the second was for assistance in the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. Moscow has repeatedly noted that the second part of the deal is not being implemented.