Russia/Ukraine

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that a grain deal allowing Ukraine to transport grain across the Black Sea had been extended by two months. Russia and Ukraine confirm that the agreement has been extended. The decision was taken the day before the agreement was due to expire. Ukraine and Russia are both among the world’s largest food producers. When Russia carried out its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it led to sharp increases in food prices worldwide. The grain agreement is therefore of great importance for world food security. The agreement was concluded in the summer of last year and has since been extended several times.
   Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, welcomes the agreement. He stresses that it must be implemented effectively and that Russia must not be given the opportunity to use food as a weapon and means of blackmail. Under the agreement, Ukraine has been able to export grain only to a limited extent via its usual export routes across the Black Sea. It can only ship grain from three of its ports – the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Pivdenny./ritzau/