Will the grain deal be extended?
Thanks to the grain deal, almost 24 million tons of grain have already been delivered to those who need it.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar expressed confidence that the Black Sea Grain Agreement, which expires on March 18, will be extended.
“Both sides (Russia and Ukraine) have a positive attitude, and we believe that the agreement will be extended,” the Turkish Anadolu news agency quoted the minister as saying on Sunday, March 12.
The Minister reaffirmed Turkey’s efforts to enforce the Istanbul Agreement and noted that the deal brought almost 24 million tons of grain to those who needed it.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July last year, has opened up three Ukrainian ports for food exports. The grain corridor was launched on August 1, 2022.
Recall that on March 18, the grain deal ends.
The aggressor country is blocking ship inspections in the Bosphorus. Because of this, in January, the export of Ukrainian agricultural products fell by 25% compared to December.
And the day before, in Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary General António Guterres supported the extension of the grain deal.
