Ukraine Black Sea Grain Deal Update: Russia Agrees to 2-Month Extension

Turkey announces the extension of the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal for two months
Russia confirmed the news, alongside Ukraine and the United Nations
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that the move was considered "good news for the world"

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal would be extended by two months, a move that Russia has confirmed.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the move as "good news for the world" a day before Moscow was set to quit the agreement over various issues. The announcement of the extension was made in a televised speech by Erdogan.

Extension of Black Sea Grain Deal

In the last few days before the extension's announcement, the ships' flow through the corridor was slowly grinding to a halt. This was because the expiration of the agreement was on Thursday.

The Black Sea grain deal was initially brokered in July last year by the United Nations and Turkey with an initial 120 days of operation. It was meant to address a global food crisis exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, one of the world's top grain exporters, as per Reuters.

Initially, Moscow was only willing to extend the agreement if a list of demands regarding its own agricultural exports were met. In a statement, Russia's foreign ministry said that extending the deal is an opportunity to assist global food security.

It added that its moral assessment of the Istanbul agreements of July 22, 2022, remains the same. The ministry also argued that the distortions in implementing the deal should be corrected quickly.

Moscow has argued that restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance, have all contributed to a barrier to its shipments. This comes as Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not affected by Western sanctions imposed following its invasion of Ukraine.

In a Facebook post, Ukrainian Minister of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development, Oleksandr Kubrakov, confirmed that the grain deal was extended until July 18. According to CNN, he noted that this means the world will continue to receive Ukrainian products, thanking Turkey and the UN.

Restricting Russia's Exports

The Ukrainian official said they were grateful to the partners who showed their unwavering and focused position on the need for the agreement. Kubrakov also accused Russia of restricting Ukraine's grain shipments.

He said that nearly 70 vessels are now waiting in Turkish territorial waters and noted that 90% are prepared to deliver their products to farmers worldwide. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was the one who confirmed the extension of the deal for Moscow.

Before the agreement extension, senior officials from all involved countries, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and the United Nations, met last week in Istanbul. There, they continued negotiations regarding the Black Sea grain deal and how it would move forward.

Despite Moscow's claims, the United States rejected ideas that its sanctions were causing difficulties for Russia's export of goods. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that Russia was exporting grain and fertilizer at the same or higher levels compared to before the war, said Aljazeera