Guterres And Zelensky Call For Black Sea Grain Deal Extension

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have called for an extension to the Black Sea grain deal as concerns increase that Russia may obstruct renewal of the initiative.

• Guterres told reporters: "I want to underscore the critical importance of rolling over the Black Sea Grain Initiative on 18 March and working to create the conditions to enable the greatest possible use of export infrastructure through the Black Sea in line with the objectives of the initiative."
• The deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July is set to be automatically extended on March if there are no objections from any of the involved parties.
• CBS: "There were warning signs last week that Russia could decline to renew the agreement when Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the U.S. and Europe of "shamelessly burying" the pact during a G-20 summit in India."
• According to the Joint Coordination Center in Turkey, which oversee shipping lanes and cargo inspections, around 23 million tons of grains have been exported since the agreement came into effect.