WASHINGTON, March 2. /TASS/. The US thinks that agreements on exporting grain from Ukraine which expire in the second half of March should be renewed and expanded, US Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price said at a briefing on Wednesday.
"As the Black Sea Grain Initiative has been in effect, because of the additional food and grain that has come on the market, food prices have come down, hunger has been mitigated, and, put simply, people have been able to live. […] And we continue to call on Russia to do what is simply the right thing: to agree to renew and ultimately to expand the Black Sea Grain Initiative so that people around the world can continue to get the food that they need," he said.
That said, the diplomat did not answer a question as to whether earlier this week, Ukraine appealed to Turkey and the UN to launch negotiations on extending the grain deal.
A package of documents was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022, to facilitate the deliveries of food and fertilizers to world markets. The Russia-UN memorandum stipulates that the United Nations will embark on efforts to lift anti-Russian restrictions for the export of agricultural produce and mineral fertilizers.
Another document outlines the mechanism for exporting grain from Kiev-controlled Black Sea ports. The grain deal between Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN envisages creating a four-party coordination center whose representatives will inspect grain-exporting vessels to prevent weapons smuggling and thwart provocations. In November 2022, the grain deal was extended for another 120 days.