Negotiations to Extend Grain Deal Hit Deadlock, No Clarity, Source Says
06:19 GMT 03.03.2023 (Updated: 11:37 GMT 17.07.2023)
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ANKARA (Sputnik) - Negotiations on the extension of the grain deal under the auspices of the UN have hit an impasse, there is no clarity at the moment, a source familiar with the talks told Sputnik on Friday.
"The negotiation process on the part of Turkey and the UN did not stop, various initiatives and options are being proposed. But the situation has become deadlocked when it is not clear whether the initiative will be continued, whether guarantees will be received for the entry of Russian agricultural products and ammonia to world markets. It is necessary to resolve it in a short time," the source said.
The source added that high-level discussions were expected, since it could facilitate progress in negotiations on the grain deal.
"High-level discussions on negotiations [on grain deal extension] are expected, it is necessary to prepare specific proposals and initiatives for consideration at this level," the source said, adding that it is possible to achieve results after negotiations at the highest level.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said late Thursday that the West was "burying" the humanitarian initiative of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres by sabotaging the implementation of the Russian part of the deal on agricultural exports.
In July 2022, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations struck a deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships carrying food and fertilizers out of Ukrainian Black Sea ports. It is part of a UN- and Turkey-brokered package agreement that also includes a memorandum of understanding between Russia and the UN and unblocks exports of Russian grain and fertilizers in the Black Sea.
Last fall, the grain deal, originally scheduled to expire on November 19, was renewed for another 120 days and is now set to expire on March 18 if it is not renewed again. Moscow has criticized the UN for failing to fulfill its part of the deal on facilitating Russian agricultural exports to countries that need them.
Last fall, the grain deal, originally scheduled to expire on November 19, was renewed for another 120 days and is now set to expire on March 18 if it is not renewed again. Moscow has criticized the UN for failing to fulfill its part of the deal on facilitating Russian agricultural exports to countries that need them.
