Security Council To Meet Friday To Discuss Grain Deal

Wires reporting that the United Nations Security Council will meet tomorrow to discuss Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain deal, according to Britain's UN Mission.

• UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Monday: "I deeply regret Russia’s decision to terminate the implementation of the Black Sea Initiative... Hundreds of millions facing hunger & consumers confronting a global cost-of-living crisis will pay the price."
• The most immediate concern for the UN may be to strike a deal to prevent a significant escalation of the conflict in the Black Sea. Both Moscow and Kyiv have made statements indicating that civilian ships navigating the Black Sea may be considered potential carriers of military cargo.
• An ongoing three-day bombardment of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa also suggests that Russia intends to reimpose by force its blockade of Ukrainian grain exports.
• Russia initially indicated that it may restore the deal if concerns over its own ag exports are met, but rejected an offer from Guterres to re-establish access for a Russian Agricultral Bank subsidiary to the SWIFT international payment system to incentivise extending the deal.