Russia and Ukraine have agreed to extend the grain deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey by another 120 days as the existing agreement is to end Saturday. The deal allows grain exports from Ukrainian ports through a safe corridor in the Black Sea. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement by all parties to continue the Black Sea Grain initiative.
Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said that the decision was made in Istanbul after the talks were held for the same. So far, nearly 11 million tons of grain and foodstuffs have been exported under the agreement. The grain export has served as a lifeline to Ukraine’s crippled economy amid the ongoing conflict and helped ease food shortages around the world.
The deal will continue with the existing provisions. Ships will carry grain from three Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Yuzhny and Pivdennyi. They will travel through the humanitarian corridor set up in the Black Sea and stop in Istanbul for inspection before continuing to the final destination.
The grain deal is vital for many African countries as they face crop failure due to weather extremes and internal conflicts. The nations that will benefit from the deal include Egypt ,Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan Senegal, Rwanda, Congo, Libya, Tanzania and Namibia.
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