Russia doubts wheat deal renewal as deadline approaches

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres shake hands after a joint news conference during the Russian attack on Ukraine

Russia said on Thursday a landmark deal to ensure the safety of grain exports from Ukraine's Black Sea ports is "halfway there". , raising questions about whether it would allow an extension to the deal, which expires next week. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey last July, attempted to avert a global food crisis by enabling the safe export of Ukrainian grain blocked by a Russian invasion from three Ukrainian ports. The agreement was extended by 120 days in November and will be renewed on March 1818 if neither party objects. However, Moscow has already signaled that it will only accept an extension if restrictions on its exports are lifted.

The West has not specifically targeted Russia's agricultural exports, but Moscow says sanctions on its payments, logistics, and insurance sectors are a barrier to its own grain and fertilizer exports. 039; but encounters new protests Greek PM promises to repair railway tracks after the train crash, students have been protesting with current intensity for years, Lithuania says “There are still many questions about the final recipients and where most of the grain ends up. And, of course, the questions about the second part of the agreements are known to everyone," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Russia has previously complained that Ukrainian grain exported under the deal was destined for rich countries. The “second part” refers to a memorandum of understanding with the UN that will facilitate the export of Russian food and fertilizers.