The US welcomes the agreement for the export of Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea

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May 17. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The United States welcomed the announcement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday of the two-month extension of the agreement to export Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizer through the Black Sea.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to remind Russia every few weeks to keep its promises and to stop using people’s hunger as a weapon in its war against Ukraine,” US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said. adding that the agreement is “essential” to maintain global food security.

Likewise, Patel has indicated in a press conference that it should not be necessary to remind Moscow to stop obstructing inspections to allow the flow of grain in Black Sea waters “for vulnerable people who need it.”

The Russian authorities have repeatedly expressed their dissatisfaction with the pact, considering that, while Ukrainian interests are respected, the exports of its fertilizers are not being fulfilled as included in the original agreement, reached in July 2022.

Thus, this was one of the main obstacles to overcome just two months ago, when Turkey, the United Nations, Russia and Moscow once again achieved a new extension of the agreement, which was already on the verge of expiring, ‘in extremis’. While the UN assured that the extension was for 120 days, Moscow defended that it was only 60.