The Black Sea deal, which was brokered by the UN and Turkey in the summer of 2022, allowing Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea, has been extended.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the deal’s extension on Saturday 18th March, hours before the original deal was due to expire. He thanked Russia and Ukraine for the new extension and said that the deal is “of vital importance for the global food supply.”
The UN has not clarified how long the deal will last. Reports suggest that Ukraine wants the extension to run for 120 days, whereas Russia is only willing to renew the deal for 60 days.
At the start of the war, in February 2022, it was estimated that around 20 million tonnes of grain, along with other foodstuffs was blockaded by the Russians, resulting in the export deal made in July last year. The UN estimates that, to date, the deal has allowed around 25 million tonnes of foodstuffs from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports to reach global markets.
