• It is uncertain how long it will last.
• Russia has warned that it will not allow the agreement to continue.
• Ukraine’s access to Black Sea ports has been obstructed by Russian vessels since the invasion.

A contract has been extended that allows Ukraine to ship millions of tonnes of grain through the Black Sea despite the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Nevertheless, it is uncertain how long it will last, with Ukraine requesting 120 days and Russia requesting 60 days.

Russia has warned that it will not allow the agreement to continue until sanctions against Moscow are eased.

After fears of a global food catastrophe, the UN and Turkey assisted in negotiating the export deal last July.

Ukraine is one of the world’s leading grain producers, but its access to Black Sea ports has been obstructed by Russian vessels since the invasion in February last year.

Countries that suffer from food insecurity, such as Yemen, rely heavily on these supplies.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced an agreement to prolong the accord, just hours before it was set to expire.

“This deal is of vital importance for the global food supply. I thank Russia and Ukraine, who didn’t spare their efforts for a new extension, as well as the United Nations secretary general,” he said.

Nevertheless, neither Mr. Erdogan nor the UN has said how long it will endure. Ukraine requested a 120-day extension, but Russia stated that it was only willing to renew the agreement for another 60 days.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said on Friday that the EU, UK, and US had two months to remove any sanctions targeting Russia’s agricultural sector if the pact was to remain.

Moscow wants Russian producers to be able to export more food and fertilizer to the rest of the globe but claims that Western sanctions impede them from doing so.

While food and fertilizer exports have not been targeted, Russia claims that payment, insurance, and shipper limitations make exports difficult.

Russia briefly left the agreement in November of last year, accusing Ukraine of targeting its navy in Crimea but rejoined a few days later.

According to the UN, the deal has already allowed nearly 25 million tonnes of foodstuffs from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports to reach global markets.

[embedpost slug=”/putin-signs-laws-against-discrediting-volunteers-in-ukraine/”]