UNITED NATIONS, May 17. /TASS/. The grain deal will remain in effect after May 18 unless Russia demands its termination, a United Nations source told TASS on Wednesday.

"Russia set May 18 as the deal’s expiration date and further developments depend on Russia," the source said, adding that the practical implementation of the deal had not been affected and the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul continued to operate.

He also pointed out that the accords did not include a formal extension procedure, while the agreements that had been signed suggested that the deal should be extended for 120 days (from the previous expiration date, that is, until July 16).

The grain deal may in fact be suspended if the Joint Coordination Center stops inspecting ships carrying food products through the Strait of Bosphorus.

The source went on to say that if the deal actually remained in effect, the parties, including Russia, would continue to maintain contact in order to implement all terms of the deal, including the need to ensure Russian food and fertilizer exports.

Grain deal

On July 22, 2022, a package of agreements on food and fertilizer exports to the global market was inked in Istanbul for a period of 120 days, and then was extended for the same period in November. On March 18, 2023, Russia announced that the deal would be extended for 60 more days, saying this would be enough time to assess the efficacy of the memorandum signed with the UN.

The delegations of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the UN held talks in Istanbul on May 10-11. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin told reporters after the meeting that the Black Sea Grain Initiative would cease to exist unless Russia received guarantees by May 18 that its demands would be met. The demands particularly concern the export of agricultural goods and fertilizers and the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural bank to the SWIFT system.