Kremlin says circumstances 'not in favor' of extending Black Sea grain deal

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – The Kremlin on Tuesday said that circumstances are “not in favor” of extending the Black Sea grain deal.

"Despite the fact that so much time has passed, it has not yet been completed, it has not acquired a ‘package' nature. The conditions that concerned us have not been implemented. Therefore, the circumstances so far are not in favor of the extension," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

Peskov argued that if the deal is not extended it will not be the cause of a potential global food crisis.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul last July to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, exacerbating global food insecurity.

A coordination center or Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments with officials from the three countries and the UN.