Kuleba and US Ambassador to UN Deliberate Grain Agreement

United Nations, May 13 – US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield discussed a “grocery store deal” with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba over the phone, Nate Evans, a spokesperson for the US Permanent Mission, said in a comment.

The two sides discussed common priorities at the United Nations, Evans said, and Thomas Greenfield affirmed the US commitment to support Ukraine.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Nations, involves the export of Ukrainian grain, food and fertilizer across the Black Sea from three ports, including Odessa. The Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul coordinates the movement of ships. Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated in September that the West exports most of the Ukrainian grain to its own countries, not to needy countries in Africa. From March 18, 2023, Russia extended the deal by 60 days — until May 18, Ukraine insists the deal be extended by 120 days.

The Grain Initiative is an integral part of the package agreement. The second part – the Russia-UN memorandum, designed for a period of three years – provides for the lifting of the ban on Russian exports of food and fertilizers, the reconnection of the Agricultural Bank of Russia with SWIFT, the resumption of the supply of agricultural machinery, spare parts and services, the restoration of the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and a number from other procedures. As noted in Moscow, this part of the agreement package has not yet been implemented.