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Russia says it will only renew grain deal if its interests taken into account

March 1, 2023 at 3:03 pm

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sochi, Russia on December 21, 2021 [Russian Foreign Ministry/Anadolu Agency]

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, on Wednesday, that Moscow would only agree to extend the Black Sea grain deal, which allows grain to be safely exported from Ukrainian ports, if the interests of its agricultural producers are taken into account, Reuters reports.

“(The) Russian side stressed that continuing the package agreement on grain is possible only if the interests of Russian agricultural and fertiliser producers in terms of unhindered access to world markets are taken into account,” it said.

The Black Sea grain deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkiye, is up for renewal again this month, but Russia has signalled that it is unhappy with some aspects of the deal.

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