MOSCOW, Mar 9 The US wants the grocery deal to be extended, said in Thursday White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby.
«We want it to be extended,» Kirby told MSNBC. and the UN, involves the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizer across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. The Joint Coordinating Center (JCC) in Istanbul is responsible for coordinating the movement of ships. The contract expired on November 18, 2022, but meant an automatic extension for 120 days until March 18, if either party did not object. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that «no such objections were received,» at the same time noting that the Russian side allows a technical extension of the «Black Sea initiative» for the export of Ukrainian grain without any changes in terms and scope.
The grain deal itself is part of the package agreement, which, among other things, provides for the unblocking of Russian exports of food and fertilizers, Moscow noted that this was precisely what was not implemented. At the same time, there were assurances from the UN that the restrictions would be lifted.