Russia announced on Saturday that it had notified all parties to the deal to export grain from Black Sea ports of the 60-day extension of the deal, and confirmed it would not take in consider another extension except under certain conditions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova published a copy of a letter from Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in which he says Moscow will not oppose the extension of the 60-day deal until May 18, according to Reuters.
Having made significant progress
The letter further stated that “the Russian side will not take in consider a further extension (of the agreement) after the specified date unless after tangible progress has been made” on the issue of Russian food and fertilizer exports.
Moscow says that while the West has not explicitly targeted these exports, sanctions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries create barriers.
This comes after Turkey and the United Nations announced in earlier, Saturday, the extension of the agreement, without indicating any duration.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian government minister announced a 120-day extension.
July 2022
Interestingly, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which began in February 2022, caused the closure of Ukrainian ports facing the Black Sea by warships.
But in July 2022, a deal brokered by Ankara and the United Nations, and signed by Moscow and Kiev, allowed safe passage for exports of essential grain supplies. The deal was extended in November until March 18.
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