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Grain deal prolonged by 60 days – Russian MFA

Maria Zakharova noted that Moscow had given its consent for such a period

Russian MFA Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Russian MFA

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, March 18. /TASS/. Russia agreed to extend the grain deal for only sixty days, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told TASS on Saturday.

"We repeat once again. Russia agreed to extend the deal for sixty days," she stressed.

Zakharova clarified Moscow's position against the backdrop of reports the grain deal had been allegedly extended for 120 days.

"We - both the Russian Foreign Ministry and Russia's permanent representatives to the UN - have repeatedly stated that the Russian side has notified all parties to the deal that it is extending the deal for 60 days. All parties were notified of this verbally and in writing by means of special notes," Zakharova stressed.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure Alexandr Kubrakov and the Turkish TV channel Haberturk claimed that the grain deal had been extended for 120 days. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric did not mention any dates.

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