At the negotiations on the extension of the grain agreement, the Russian Federation puts forward additional conditions

On October 16, the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine O. Kubrakov met at the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul with the Minister of Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar and discussed with him the issue of extending the term of the grain agreement after November 19.

Representatives of the UN, Turkey and Ukraine expressed their readiness to extend the agreement and make maximum efforts to this end, and also stated that they have no doubts that its work will continue after November 22.

The Ukrainian side drew attention to the need to speed up the inspection of ships by representatives of the Joint Coordination Center (JCC), which will avoid queues during inspection and increase the volume of grain supplies to the countries of Africa, Asia and Europe. During the period of validity of the grain agreement, 345 ships left the ports of Ukraine, which exported more than 7.7 million tons of agricultural products.

The coordinator of the Black Sea Grain Initiative from the UN, Amir Mahmud Abdullah, summarizing the results of the meeting, said that he hoped not only for the extension of the agreement, but also for its expansion. The Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine O. Kubrakov thanked the representatives of the UN, Turkey and the Ukrainian team of the SCC for their fruitful work, and the Minister of Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akarom stated that his country will continue to contribute to the reduction of tensions and the end of the war in Ukraine through negotiations: "The Black Sea Initiative has shown that the The Ankara model can help solve other complex problems."

We will remind that on October 13, the representative of the Russian Federation at the UN G. Gatilov announced the possible withdrawal of Russia from the grain agreement, if its requirements regarding the export of grain and fertilizers to the countries of Africa and Asia are not fulfilled. Gatilov submitted a letter with complaints and new demands to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, but they have not been publicly announced. On October 16, UN representatives held negotiations in Moscow regarding the extension of the agreement on the export of grain through the Black Sea ports of Ukraine.