Ukraine grain deal’s future uncertain, no more talks scheduled

Ukraine has acknowledged the possibility that the agreement facilitating the safe export of its grain through the Black Sea ports may come to an end on May 18, its scheduled expiration date, and said no further negotiations are planned for this week.

Olha Trofimtseva, a Foreign Ministry ambassador at large, told a briefing that Ukraine was receiving conflicting signals about the future of the grain deal, the extension of which was discussed at talks in Türkiye last week.

Ukrainian Black Sea ports were blockaded after Russia's invasion last year but access to three of them was cleared last July under a deal between Moscow and Kyiv, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye.

The initiative that expires on Thursday aimed at tackling a global food crisis worsened by Russia-Ukraine war.

At the same time, the United Nations agreed to help Moscow facilitate its own agricultural shipments.

"The situation overall (after talks) has not changed much, and we receive quite conflicting information about the grain deal and the possibility of its continuation," she said.

Russia has threatened to quit the agreement on May 18 unless a list of demands is met to remove obstacles to Russia's own grain and fertilizer exports.

"Such a termination, (Russia's) exit from the grain initiative is possible, but for everyone and primarily for the Russian side that will mean an escalation of the situation and they will complicate their future negotiation position for themselves," Trofimtseva said.

She said Ukraine had exported 2.5 million tons of agricultural goods in April despite a slowdown in the use of the grain corridor.

Meanwhile, Türkiye on Friday said parties of the Black Sea initiative were nearing an agreement on an extension of the pact.

NATO member Türkiye, which has good ties with Russia and Ukraine, has pushed both countries to resume peace talks after negotiations broke down last year.

Over 30 million tons of grain and agricultural products have been exported under the initiative to date, including nearly 600,000 metric tons of grain in World Food Programme (WFP) vessels for aid operations in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen.

In March, the grain agreement was renewed for 60 days instead of the 120 days sought by Ukraine, after Russia laid down a number of conditions, including the right to export fertilizer.

There are no sanctions on Russian exports of food and fertilizers to global markets, but secondary sanctions imposed on banks, shipping and insurance companies have blocked Russian sales.

Russian officials say they have not seen progress on the second part of the agreement that concerns its own exports.