Ukraine has sent an appeal to the UN and Türkiye to start negotiations on extending a grain export deal, but there has been no response, a Ukrainian government source told Reuters on 28 February.
"We have sent a letter requesting that we start dealing with this issue as March 18 is very soon, but we have not had any feedback so far," the source said.
Russia continues its blockade of the Black Sea for Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Last July, the Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by the UN and Türkiye allowed grain to be exported from three Ukrainian ports of the Greater Odesa area. The agreement is up for renewal again in March, but Russia says it wants sanctions affecting its agricultural exports to be lifted.
A major global grain grower and exporter, Ukraine's grain exports were down almost 27% at 31.8 million tonnes in the 2022/23 season as of Feb. 27, impacted by a smaller harvest and logistical difficulties caused by the Russian invasion.
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