MOSCOW, June 30. /TASS/. Russia currently sees no reasons that would support extending the grain deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.

"I don't see what arguments those who would like to continue this Black Sea initiative have, because, as I said, it has long become commercial in terms of Ukrainian grain," he said.

He referenced statistics from the Joint Coordination Center (JCC) in Istanbul, which records all ships delivering Ukrainian agricultural products under the Black Sea Initiative. "Throughout the period of this agreement, every month two World Food Program ships left Ukrainian ports with cargoes for needy countries, and the number of commercial grain carriers reached about 90 per month," Lavrov added.

He added that Russia's fertilizers and food exports continue despite all obstacles from the West. "Exports of our fertilizers and food products continue, we support relevant operations, bypassing both geographical routes and other technological obstacles built by the West," he said.

Lavrov stressed that if the grain deal fails, Russia will deliver grain to the poorest countries at its own expense and in the necessary volume. "If the Black Sea initiative is terminated, we will ensure the supply of a comparable or larger volume of grain to the poorest countries at our own expense, free of charge," Lavrov stated.

On July 22, 2022, a package of documents on the supply of food and fertilizers to the international market was signed in Istanbul. Initially, the agreements were concluded for 120 days, in November of last year they were extended for the same period. On March 18, 2023, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal, warning that this would be enough time to evaluate the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN. On May 17, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the grain deal had been extended for two months starting May 18.