May 17 (UPI) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced Wednesday that the Black Sea Grain Initiative has been extended for another 60 days.
Erdogan announced the extension on Twitter, adding that Russia had agreed it would not prevent Turkish ships from leaving the Ukrainian ports of Mykolaiv and Olvia.
“We are grateful to them for this. We hope that we will see the days when the war between Russia and Ukraine will first end in a permanent cease-fire and then in peace,” Erdogan said.
The initiative, which allows Russian and Ukrainian ships to export via the Black Sea under Turkish supervision, was brokered last summer and was last extended in March.
“We will continue our efforts to ensure that all the conditions of the agreement are fulfilled and that it will continue in the next period,” Erdogan said.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov also confirmed the extension of the deal in a Facebook post, while accusing Russia of restricting shipments.
“Almost 70 vessels are now waiting in Turkey’s territorial waters, 90% of those who are ready to deliver the products of our farmers to the world,” Kubrakov wrote. “We welcome continuation of the initiative’s work but we emphasize that it has to work effectively.”
Ahead of the announcement Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told Russia’s Zvezda television that the implementation of the deal was reliant on the protection of Russia’s interests but that Moscow planned to uphold its commitments.
“There will be no backpedaling on fulfilling the requirements that our country had put forward, which were included into those agreements and sealed by the sides,” Zakharova said.
“This story is not about one country or group of nations fulfilling their interests while others are waiting for their turn,” she added.
In Washington, D.C., the Biden administration welcomed the agreement but criticized Russia for the need to repeatedly work on extending it.
“We should not need to remind Moscow every few weeks to keep their promises and to stop using people’s hunger as a weapon in their war against Ukraine,” State Department principal deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters during a press conference Wednesday. “We should not need to remind Russia to stop obstructing inspections to allow grain to flow to vulnerable people who need it.
“The world needs the Black Sea Grain Initiative.”
For United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the extension represents the possibility that a pathway to ending the war may be found.
“Even in the darkest hours, there is always a beacon of hope and opportunity to find solutions that benefit everyone,” he tweeted Wednesday following the announcement.