Frankly News – The Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva announced that Moscow agreed to extend the grain agreement for a period of 60 days.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinny said on Monday: “Russia supports extending the Ukrainian grain export agreement for a period of 60 days only, after the application of the text was extended each time for a period of 120 days.”
“The Russian side does not oppose a new extension of the Black Sea Initiative after its second extension expired on March 18, but only for a period of 60 days,” the Russian official added, in a written declaration to the media after the negotiations.
In Geneva, on Monday, negotiations began between United Nations officials and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin over a possible extension of an agreement allowing the safe export of grain from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports.
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an extension of the “grain agreement” with Moscow, which allows Kiev to export grain from the Black Sea ports.
During the G-20 meetings in early March, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also called for Russia to renew the agreement.
In turn, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the negotiations aimed at extending this agreement as “complex.”