MOSCOW, May 11. /TASS/. Consultations on unblocking the grain deal will continue online, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Alexander Kubrakov said on Thursday.

"Negotiations in Istanbul on the functioning of the grain initiative have been completed. The UN and Turkey have an understanding that the grain initiative is crucial for global food security and should function steadily. Therefore, at their suggestion, further consultations on unblocking the initiative will continue online," he wrote on his Facebook page (banned in Russia; belongs to Meta Corporation, recognized as extremist in Russia).

The Ukrainian delegation stressed once again that the grain initiative should be extended for a longer period and expanded, Kubrakov added. He argues that first of all it is necessary to restore the registration of the incoming fleet and conduct inspections without what he described as artificial delays.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said earlier on Thursday following talks in Istanbul on the grain deal concluded by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations that Russia was against indefinitely extending or expanding the grain deal, which a number of Western countries were calling for.

On July 22, 2022, a package of documents on the supply of food and fertilizers to the international market was signed in Istanbul. The agreements were originally concluded for a period of 120 days. They were extended for the same period last November. On March 18, 2023, Russia announced the extension of the deal for 60 days, warning that this period of time would be enough to see if the memorandum signed with the UN was being implemented.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that any further decision to extend the deal would depend on the fulfillment of the Russian part of the agreement. The lack of progress on this issue endangers the future of this initiative as such.