Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin is not discussing expanding the grain deal, which expires on May 18.
“No,” he said, answering a journalist’s related question.
At the same time, Peskov added that Russia will continue the agreements for the grain agreement, especially with the UN representatives.
On July 22, 2022, representatives of Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN signed a “grain agreement” in Istanbul. The agreement includes Russia’s assistance in exporting grain, food and fertilizer to the Black Sea from Ukraine’s three ports, including Odessa.
Former Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu declarationthat the problem of extending the grain agreement is related to non-compliance with Russia’s requirements. According to him, this concerns in particular the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT system and the guarantees of banks to pay for food.
Peskov also noted that negotiations to extend the agreement have not yet yielded results.