WASHINGTON, September 17. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres spoke by phone on Saturday to discuss issues including the Black Sea grain initiative, State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Blinken and Guterres discussed a "wide array of issues, including the Black Sea Grain Initiative," Russia’s special military operation and the security situation in Haiti, according to the statement.
"They discussed US priorities for the General Assembly, including reinforcing the core principles of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, modernizing the UN to address 21st century challenges, and our efforts to advance the UN’s sustainable development goals," the statement said. "The secretary shared information on US-hosted side events focused on addressing the threat of synthetic drugs, harnessing artificial intelligence to advance the UN’s sustainable development goals, and leveraging private capital for major infrastructure projects."
The grain deal expired on July 17, a year after it came into effect. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier said the part of the deal that concerned Moscow hadn’t been fulfilled, despite UN efforts. He repeatedly said that although the agreement were intended to direct food supplies to the poorest countries, most of the grain from Ukraine went to Western countries. Moscow said, however, that it is ready to return to the deal, provided the part pertaining to Russia were implemented.