Russia agrees to extend food grain agreement with Ukraine for only 60 days instead of 120

Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, has reiterated that his country will extend the food pact with Ukraine for only 60 days, instead of the earlier stipulated 120-day period. Meanwhile, the UN human rights chief called extension of the deal important to ensure global food supply and contain inflation.

A Russian delegation told senior UN officials in Geneva on Monday that Russia wanted to shorten the duration of the extension so it could review what changes were needed to make the package work. Nebenzia repeated the same thing. The agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, was signed in July last year for 120 days, under which Ukraine was allowed to export food and fertilizers from one of its ports on the Black Sea.

The term of this agreement expired in November last year, after which this period was further extended and now this agreement will end on Saturday. Nebenzia said the agreement would have automatically extended for 120 days if neither side objected, but Russia has formally objected. United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said at the beginning of the Security Council meeting that the agreement was important, saying that due to the Black Sea Food Initiative, the prices of food items have declined globally.

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