The State Department urged Russia to extend and expand the grain deal
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The US urges Russia to “do the right thing” by agreeing to extend and expand the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain and Black Sea ports, informed State Department spokesman Ned Price.
“We continue to urge Russia to do just the right thing: to agree to restart and eventually expand the Black Sea Grain Initiative so that people around the world can continue to get the food they need,” he said at the briefing.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has already discussed the extension of the March 18 grain deal with UN Secretary General António Guterres and counterparts in Turkey, he added. According to the representative of the State Department, during the implementation of the deal, it was possible to reduce the shortage of food in vulnerable regions of the world and reduce world food prices.
On February 28, it became known that Ukraine applied to Turkey and the UN with a request to start negotiations on extending the grain deal. Earlier in Kyiv, they announced plans to extend the initiative for a year and turn on export of grain from the ports of Nikolaev into it. An insurance industry source told Reuters that the inclusion of Nikolaev in the deal would speed up the departure of 60 ships stuck in Ukrainian ports. According to the interlocutor, there are about 26 ships in the city’s ports alone.
On July 22, 2022, representatives of Turkey and the UN signed separate agreements with representatives of Russia and Ukraine on the export of Ukrainian grain from three ports, including Odessa, as well as on assistance in the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. The deal was calculated until November 18 with a subsequent extension for 120 days.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly accused the West of non-compliance with the second part of the agreement, which concerns the memorandum between Russia and the UN. The UN continues to say that they are working to remove restrictions that hinder the export of Russian grain and fertilizers, but no tangible results have been reported in this area.
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