Russia said it did not object to a 60-day extension of the Grain Corridor Agreement, which expires on March 18.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin made a written statement after meeting in Geneva with Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, on the extension of the Grain Corridor Agreement.
“MAY BE EXTENDED FOR 60 DAYS”
In this context, Russia does not object to the extension of the Grain Corridor Agreement, which will expire on March 18, for another 60 days only, taking into account the package nature of the Istanbul Agreements proposed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Verchinin said.
“Our further position will depend on concrete progress on the normalization of our agricultural exports, not in words but in deeds,” Vershinin said, adding that the package would include bank payments, transport logistics, insurance, settlement of financial activities and the supply of ammonia through the Tolyatti-Odessa pipeline.
UKRAINE: RUSSIA’S DECISION IS CONTRADICTORY
Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov criticized Russia’s decision to once again support the extension of the Grain Corridor Agreement, which expires on March 18, for only 60 days, stating that this decision contradicts the agreement.
“This contradicts the document signed by Turkey and the United Nations (UN). We are waiting for the official position of the UN and Turkey as guarantors of the initiative.”
The Grain Corridor Agreement was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022 between Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and the UN. The agreement was extended for 120 days from November 19, 2022.