GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — Russian officials said no agreement has yet been made to extend a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea, Reuters reported.
Talks in Geneva last week regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative were useful, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin, but Russia wants access to world markets for its own food and fertilizer exports.
The original agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in late July, has allowed the shipment of more than 9 million tonnes of grain and other food exports during the past three months. It is set to expire on Nov. 19.
Prior to the deal, Russia, which invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, had used a naval blockade to prevent the ships from leaving the Black Sea ports.
Vershinin also said there will be no progress in extending the agreement if a Russian state bank that finances the farm sector isn’t reconnected to the international SWIFT bank payments system. Its access was cut off by Western sanctions.
A UN statement on Nov. 11 said the participants “remain engaged in the implementation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and held constructive discussions on its continuation.”
Russia briefly suspended its participation in the deal on Oct. 29 after an attack on its Black Sea fleet but returned to it just four days later.