Russia’s foreign ministry has confirmed the extension of the Black Sea grain deal for 120 days starting from Nov. 18, without any changes to the current one
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to extend the foodgrain export deal from Ukraine’s Southern Black Sea Ports by 4 months, amidst ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine had signed the deal in July 2022 where Russia agreed to unblock the ports on the Black Sea to allow the export of foodgrains from Ukraine across the world. The deal was brokered by United Nations (U.N.) and Turkey. The deal was about to expire on Saturday, November 19, 2022.
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary-General of United Nations (U.N.) – Antonio Guterres said, “I welcome the agreement by all parties to continue the Black Sea grain initiative to facilitate the safe navigation of export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilisers from Ukraine.”
He also said that U.N. is fully committed to removing the remaining obstacles to exporting food and fertilisers from the Russian Federation. The deal would continue without any change in the existing terms.
The President of Turkey – Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Russia and Ukraine’s consensus on continuing the deal.
Taking it to twitter, Erdogan tweeted,
I would like to thank United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, President Putin of Russia, and President Zelensky of Ukraine, for their willingness to prolong the agreement, and I would also like to congratulate all those who contributed.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) November 17, 2022
He further tweeted,
In accordance with the resolution reached by Türkiye, the UN, the Russian Federation, and Ukraine, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was extended for an additional 120 days beginning November 19, 2022, as a result of the quadrilateral discussions hosted by Türkiye.
— Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (@RTErdogan) November 17, 2022
Russia pulled out from the pact in late October 2022, citing safety concerns after an attack on its Black Sea fleet, before rejoining days later. As of now, Ukraine has exported more than 11 million tonnes of agricultural products shipped from 3 of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, including 4.5 million tonnes of corn and 3.2 million tonnes of wheat. The 3 Ports involved in the deal are Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi. They have a combined capacity to ship about 3 million tonnes a month.
Russia previously said its approval to extend the deal depended on support for its grain and fertilizer exports. Russia is a major agricultural producer and the world’s largest wheat exporter. Russia reportedly wants the West to ease restrictions on state agriculture lender – Rosselkhozbank, a move that should help facilitate more of its exports.
The Kremlin Spokesperson – Dmitry Peskov said that the U.N. has assured Russia that work will be done to remove barriers on Russian exports of agricultural products and fertilisers.
