Ukraine announces that the grain export agreement from its ports will be extended for 120 days

kyiv says that the decision has been taken in Istanbul and continues to count on the UN and Turkey as guarantors

MADRID, 17 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Government of Ukraine has announced this Thursday that the agreement reached in July with Russia for the export of grain from Ukrainian ports will be extended for 120 days, although neither Moscow nor the guarantor parties have ruled on the matter.

"The initiative for the safe transportation of agricultural products in the Black Sea has been extended by 120 days," Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksander Kubrakov said in a message posted on his Facebook account.

Thus, he said that "the decision has just been taken in Istanbul" and added that "the United Nations and Turkey continue to be guarantors of the initiative." The negotiations had intensified recently due to the expiration this Saturday of the current agreement.

In this sense, he has revealed that kyiv had advocated extending the initiative "for at least a year" and including the port of Mikolaiv, while stressing that Ukraine "is awaiting a response."

Kubrakov has defended that "Ukrainian agricultural exports continue to be an effective tool to deal with the global food crisis" and has highlighted that since the entry into force of the agreement, more than eleven million tons of products have been exported to 38 countries of the world.

"It is a significant amount, but it is not enough. The global market cannot replace Ukrainian agricultural products in the short term. At the same time, it is impossible to increase our food for the world," the Ukrainian minister explained.

"It is also important to guarantee the effective operation of the Joint Coordination Center. They have presented their proposals to solve existing problems. We must use the full export potential of our ports so that the world quickly receives the amounts of food it needs," he concluded. .

Kubrakov has also indicated on his Twitter account that the agreement "is another important step in the global fight against the food crisis." "We are waiting for the official announcement from the leaders of the United Nations and Turkey," he has reported, without Russia having spoken for now.

Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22 after mediation by Turkey and the United Nations to unblock the export of grain and fertilizers, an agreement that was briefly interrupted by Moscow's accusations against kyiv for alleged threats to the security of the corridor. Finally, Moscow announced its return to the agreement after citing Ukrainian "guarantees", although kyiv denied having made any concessions.