Russia agrees to extend Ukraine grain deal in a boost for global food security

Russia agreed to extend a deal that has allowed Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea to parts of the world struggling with hunger, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday, a boost to global food security after the war launched more than a year ago drove up prices.

“I want to give a good news,” Erdogan said. “With the efforts of our country, the support of our Russian friends and the contribution of our Ukrainian friends, the Black Sea Grain Initiative has been extended by another two months.”

The breakthrough accord that the UN and Turkiye brokered with the warring sides last summer came with a separate agreement to facilitate shipments of Russian food and fertiliser that Moscow insists hasn’t been applied.

Russia had set a Thursday deadline for its concerns to be ironed out or had threatened to bow out. Such brinkmanship isn’t new: With a similar extension in the balance in March, Russia unilaterally decided to renew the deal for just 60 days instead of the 120 days outlined in the agreement.

Extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative is a win for countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia that rely on Ukrainian wheat, barley, vegetable oil and other affordable food products, especially as drought takes a toll. The deal helped lower prices of food commodities like wheat over the last year, but that relief has not reached kitchen tables.

In talks last week in Istanbul, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the grain deal “should be extended for a longer period of time and expanded” to “give predictability and confidence” to markets.

Moscow has said it opposed such an expansion, then opted for another shorter extension.

Russia, meanwhile, is rapidly shipping a bumper harvest of its wheat through other ports. Critics say that suggests Moscow is posturing or trying to wrest concessions in other areas such as on Western sanctions and claim it’s dragged its heels on joint inspections of ships by Russian, Ukrainian, UN and Turkish officials.

Average daily inspections meant to ensure vessels carry only food and not weapons that could aid either side have steadily dropped from a peak of 10.6 in October to 3.2 last month. Shipments of Ukrainian grain also have declined in recent weeks.

Russia denies slowing the work and was seeking five things to extend the deal, according to its ambassador in Geneva, Gennady Gatilov:

A restoration of foreign supplies of farm machinery and replacement parts.

A lifting of restrictions on insurance and access to foreign ports for Russian ships and cargo.

Resumed operation of a pipeline that sends Russian ammonia, a key ingredient in fertiliser, to a Ukrainian Black Sea port. An end to restrictions on financial activities linked to Russia’s fertiliser companies.

Renewed access to the international SWIFT banking system for the Russian Agricultural Bank.agencies