On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the extension of the agreement that allowed the resumption of Ukrainian grain exports following the start of the “special” Russian military operation in Turkey, without specifying the duration of the extension.
Russia had previously called for extending the agreement for only 60 days, which is half of the previous renewal period, while Ukraine was insisting on renewing the agreement for a period of 120 days.
Ukraine and Russia are major suppliers of grain and fertilizers in the world.
Agreement details
- The Black Sea Grain Initiative, the official name of the agreement on grain exports from Ukrainian ports, stems from a July 22 agreement between Russia, the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine.
- This initiative helped alleviate the global food crisis caused by the war between Russia and Ukraine.
- It was renewed in mid-November for a new 4-month period that ends this month.
- Under the agreement, ships heading to and from Ukraine are inspected in Turkish waters, and the four parties work together to approve and inspect ships sailing under the agreement.
