Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said that UN, Russian, Ukrainian, and Turkish technical experts will convene this Friday to explore an agreement allowing the shipment of Ukrainian grains across the Black Sea.
The summit will also discuss the removal of grain shipments and Turkish-flagged ships from Black Sea ports. The grain deal, which ends on May 18, will be extended by Ankara.
According to Akar, the meeting on Friday will be technical, and the following week will bring another gathering of deputy ministers, US News reported.
In regards to the future of the grain agreement that allows for the secure export of Ukrainian grain on the Black Sea, Russia has stated that it will continue negotiations with the United Nations but will not take any steps that could negatively impact its interests.
The head of the United Nations trade agency, Rebeca Grynspan, will be in Moscow this coming Friday to talk about the organization's role in easing Russia's export of grain and fertilizer, according to Reuters.
Russia Expresses Willingness To Cooperate Despite Demands
Although Western sanctions have had little effect on Moscow, the Russian capital has grumbled about the difficulties encountered by its exports after Russia invaded Ukraine last year.
In July 2022, the UN and Turkey negotiated a package agreement that included the UN's promise to aid Russian grain and fertilizer supplies and the safe resumption of Ukraine's Black Sea grain exports.
Russia threatened to pull out of the Black Sea export treaty on May 18, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would keep talking to the United Nations and other officials in the hopes that the provisions of the contract would be met.
The UN says the Black Sea agreement helps solve a worldwide food crisis, which has been aggravated by the Russia-Ukraine war. However, Russia has a list of demands that must be addressed before it would continue to participate in the agreement, per CNBC.
