The UN expects a Russian delegation to arrive in Geneva next week to negotiate a grain deal, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary General, said.
“This is the next step and we will see if we need more than that,” Mr. Haq told reporters (quoted from Archyde.com). “The Secretary General will continue to do everything possible to remove obstacles to the export of Russian fertilizers,” he added.
The grain deal was agreed by Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN in July 2022. It envisaged the opening of Ukrainian ports for the export of grain and the removal of obstacles to the export of Russian fertilizers and food. It expires in March. The United Nations and the United States called for an extension and expansion of the agreement. The Russian Foreign Ministry accused the West of sabotaging the deal. Moscow has repeatedly said that Ukrainian grain is not going to the poorest countries, as promised, and that obstacles to Russian exports remain.