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Grain deal talks with all parties set for May 3 — Reuters

On March 18, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal, warning that this would be enough time to assess the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN

LONDON, May 2. /TASS/. The UN-backed Black Sea grain initiative negotiations with the participation of all parties are scheduled for May 3, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing an unnamed Ukrainian source.

"Talks are scheduled for tomorrow. All parties... hopefully there will be results," the source told Reuters.

The agreements on food exports from Ukraine were signed on July 22 for a period of 120 days. The agreements were then extended for the same period last November. On March 18, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal, warning that this would be enough time to assess the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN. The Russian Foreign Ministry also pointed out that a further decision on the extension of the deal would depend on reconnecting Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) back to the SWIFT system, resuming supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and service, lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance, lifting the ban on access to ports, resuming operation of the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline, unblocking foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies involved in the production and transportation of food and fertilizers.