Turkey-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative Extended, UN Chief Announces

An agreement has been reached to extend by 120 days the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allows grain exports from Ukraine through a protected sea transit corridor to the rest of the world, United Nations Secretary General  Antonio Guterres said on Thursday. Russia had suspended the agreement, brokered in July by Turkey and the United Nations, late last month.  The United Nations and Turkey remain guarantors of the initiative, which has helped to ease global food shortages caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

“I welcome the agreement by all parties to continue the Black Sea grain initiative to facilitate the safe navigation of export of grain, foodstuffs and fertilizers from Ukraine,” Guterres said in a statement on Thursday after meeting with  Russia’s foreign minister on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali.  He said that the next step would be to enable food and fertilizer exports from Russia, which is part of the agreement.

The agreement has enabled some nine million tons of Ukrainian grain to be exported since July. The agreement was due to be renewed on November 19.