Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed today, Friday, his optimism about the possibility of extending the agreement that allows the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
Erdogan said, during an interview with reporters, that he hopes to extend the agreement beyond its expiry date, which falls on July 17, as a result of the efforts made by the United Nations and Turkey.
The Turkish president made it clear that he agreed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the need to extend the agreement.
He repeatedly threatened Russia not to renew the agreement unless it was able to export its agricultural products and fertilizers in accordance with a parallel agreement with the agreement to export grain across the Black Sea.
Although agricultural products are subject to sanctions, Russia says that European sanctions prevented it from exporting its products due to its separation from the international “Swift” money transfer system.
An EU spokesman said on Thursday that the European Commission was assisting the United Nations and Turkey in their bid to extend the grain deal and was open to “exploring all solutions”.
The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grains Initiative between Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help alleviate the impact of a global food crisis. Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s largest grain exporters.
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