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Guterres calls for extension of grain deal beyond March 18

UN chief says exports of food, fertilizers from Russia, Ukraine are extremely important

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky REUTERS/Alina Yarysh

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky

© REUTERS/Alina Yarysh

UNITED NATIONS, March 8. /TASS/. The grain deal needs to be extended beyond March 18, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at a meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on Wednesday, according to a transcript of the meeting released by the UN.

"I want to underscore the critical importance of the rollover of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 18 March and of working to create the conditions to enable the greatest possible use of export infrastructures through the Black Sea, in line with the objectives of the initiative," he said.

According to Guterres, 23 million tons of grain had been exported from Ukrainian ports as part of the grain deal.

"Exports of Ukrainian — as well as Russian — food and fertilizers are essential to global food security and food prices," UN Secretary pointed out.

Speaking about the extension of the deal, Guterres used the word "rollover," which means an extension on the current terms. However, there’s been a discussion in recent months, along the lines of the greatest possible use of Black Sea infrastructure that was mentioned by the UN chief, to increase the number of Ukrainian ports that are used for food exports and export Russian ammonia fertilizers via the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline and then onboard ships leaving from Ukrainian ports.

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Ukraine United Nations Antonio Guterres

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