Ukraine and U.N. chief call for Black Sea grain deal extension

The Swiss ambassador conveyed to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that he would convey India's concerns to Berne with all the seriousness it deserves. (Image: United Nations Office at Geneva. Source: un.org/en/geneva )

Ukraine's president and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Wednesday for the extension of a deal with Moscow that has allowed Kyiv to export grain via Black Sea ports during Russia's invasion.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said after talks with Guterres in Kyiv that the Black Sea Grain Initiative was necessary for the world. Guterres underlined the importance of the deal to global food security and food prices.

The 120-day deal, initially brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in July and extended in November, will be renewed on March 18 if no party objects. Russia has signalled that obstacles to its own agricultural exports need to be removed before it lets the deal continue.