Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that a UN-brokered deal allowing Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea has been extended by two months, bringing shipping to a complete halt as world hunger worsens.
“With the efforts of our country, the support of our Russian friends and the contribution of our Ukrainian friends, it has been decided to extend the Black Sea Grain Corridor agreement for another 2 months,” Erdogan said in Twitter. “Good luck to the whole world.”
The fate of the Black Sea Grain Initiative between the United Nations, Turkey, Russia and Ukraine last July hung in the balance after the Kremlin warned that it would not guarantee security from this Thursday. Ships passing through the Bosphorus to collect cargo from Ukraine’s southern ports and deliver it to the world market.
With Erdogan in the lead following the first round of voting in last Sunday’s presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected by analysts to say yes to the extension to boost his chances of defeating Turkish leader Kemal Kilisadaroglu in a May runoff. 28.
Amid uncertainty, inspections by the Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Center monitoring Ukraine’s maritime exports have been frozen. At the same time, Ukraine increased its shipments to the West, which led to a supply shortage in Eastern Europe.
In total, more than 30 million metric tons were shipped via the Black Sea initiative, which triggered a ban on maritime exports to Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February last year.
Confirming the news, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the deal had been extended until July 18. “Now the main challenge is to do it. #BSGI Efficient by [canceling] Artificial Barriers,” Kubrakov in A TwitterHighlighting the delays in the release of Ukrainian volumes.
Russia’s state news agency Tass quoted an unnamed official as saying the grain deal would be extended immediately if Moscow did not object directly. This was not until Wednesday afternoon.