Russia and Ukraine

GENEVA (Reuters) – Rebecca Greenspan, the body’s top trade official, will meet with Russian officials in Geneva next week to discuss extending an agreement allowing Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea as Russia continues to attack Kiev, a United Nations spokeswoman said. Wednesday.

“This is the next step and we will see if there is a need for more,” UN deputy spokesman Farhan Huq told reporters.

“The Secretary-General will do everything in his power to remove barriers to Russian fertilizer exports,” he added.

The effort the world needs

Earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an extension of an agreement with Moscow that would allow Kiev to export grain from Black Sea ports.

Zelensky said after talks with Guterres in Kiev that the Black Sea Grain Initiative is essential to the world.

During the visit to Kiev, Guterres stressed the importance of food security and an agreement on global food prices.

According to Guterres, the agreement enabled the export of 23 million tons of Ukrainian grain, which until then had been stuck in ports by the Russian attack.

And he explained, “The agreement contributed to the reduction of global food prices and provided vital assistance to people who are paying a heavy price in this war, especially in developing countries.”

Guterres recalled that Ukrainian grains and fertilizers and Russian fertilizers are “essential for global food security and food prices” as inflation spreads in many countries.

What is a grain contract?

Last July, the Black Sea Initiative for Grain Exchange, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, allowed the export of grain from three Ukrainian ports to alleviate the global food crisis caused by the conflict, particularly in Africa.

The contract, which was extended in November, expires on March 18 and can only be extended with the consent of all parties.

But Russia said it was not satisfied with some of its clauses and pointed to the need to remove restrictions on its agricultural exports before allowing the deal to proceed.

The contract will be extended for 120 days unless either party objects.

Ukraine and Russia are among the most important global suppliers of grains and fertilizers.

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