The crucial agreement to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea has been asked for to be extended, fully implemented, and expanded by the Group of Seven (G7) economic powers.
The G7 agricultural ministers acknowledged the significance of the agreement in the communiqué they released following their two-day summit in Miyazaki, Japan.
They condemned Russia’s attempts to use food as a means of destabilisation and as tool of geopolitical coercion and reiterate our commitment to acting in solidarity and supporting those most affected by Russia’s weaponisation of food.
Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal was signed in Istanbul last July, allowing Ukraine to export more than 27 million tonnes of grain from several of its Black Sea ports.
This week in New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are due to speak about the agreement for the sale of grain from Ukraine to the Black Sea.
In order to expedite its own grain and fertilizer exports, Russia, which invaded its neighbor in February 2022, has made it clear that it would not permit the agreement to last through May 18.
