Russia says conditions not ripe for grain deal extension

Circumstances are not yet in favour of extending the Black Sea grain export deal, the Kremlin has said after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the issue.

So much time has passed but the part of the deal regarding the export of Russian agricultural products and fertilisers has not been implemented, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a daily briefing.

He said that the deal, formally known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative, has "a package nature" and Russia will continue to monitor its implementation, Xinhua news agency reported.

In July 2022, Russia and Ukraine separately signed a document in Istanbul with Turkey and the United Nations on grain and fertiliser exports from Ukraine and Russia to ensure supplies to global markets amid the Ukraine crisis.

The initial 120-day agreement was extended by another 120 days in November 2022 and then by 60 days last month.

During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in New York on Monday, Guterres presented Lavrov with a letter to Putin, outlining a proposed way forward aimed at the improvement, extension and expansion of the deal.

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