Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York next week to discuss the Ukraine Black Sea grain export arrangement, which might expire unless Russian demands are met.
As Russia retains the 15-member Security Council leadership for April, Lavrov will chair two meetings. Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia claimed Lavrov and most of his delegation have U.S. visas for New York.
Nebenzia said he will meet Guterres. Russia has warned that the accord allowing the safe wartime transfer of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian Black Sea ports beyond May 18 is “not so great.”
“Of course, he will be raising that during his bilateral (meeting with Guterres),” Nebenzia told reporters.
“Nothing is moving, efforts are being made but unfortunately, they are fruitless for us,” he said of U.N. efforts to assist Russia in exporting food and fertilizer despite Western sanctions over the invasion.
No good news… Nebenzia stated, “We want progress.”
In July 2018, the U.N. and Turkey reached a grain export pact to address a worldwide food crisis that U.N. officials said was compounded by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s deadliest war since World War Two.
Russia only renewed it for 60 days last month after extending it in November. Moscow would only extend provided several export requests was met.
The U.N. also agreed to help Russia export food and fertilizer for three years in July to urge Russia to allow Ukraine to resume Black Sea grain shipments.
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