Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that the Black Sea Grain deal, which was set to expire on Thursday, has been extended for two more months.
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"With the efforts of our country, the support of our Russian friends and the contribution of our Ukrainian friends, the Black Sea Grains Initiative has been extended for another two months," Erdogan said in a speech at his party headquarters.
For its part, Russia shortly afterward confirmed the extension of the agreement noting that "it is an opportunity to help ensure global food security not with words but with deeds, to help first of all those countries that need it most," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
For his part, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development and Infrastructure of Ukraine, said on the social network that "the world will continue to receive Ukrainian products, thanks to the efforts of our partners, Türkiye and the UN."
The Black Sea grain initiative was negotiated by the United Nations (UN) and Türkiye last July in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, paralyzed after the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022.
According to UN data, the initiative has allowed the shipment of some 30 million metric tons of corn, wheat, soybeans, and other grains, contributing to stabilizing world food prices and helping countries in Africa and part of Asia.
The agreement also provided for the unblocking of Russian grain and fertilizer exports, however, Moscow has on several occasions denounced the non-compliance with this part of the deal.
In this regard, the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, said that "Moscow accepted the extension of the grain agreement, given that it is counting on the problems with the Russian part of the agreement to be resolved."
Zakharova said that "the distortions of the agreement should be solved with maximum speed."