Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the Black Sea Grain Deal between Russia and Ukraine has been extended for two months. The agreement allows Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea to countries reliant on food imports especially in Africa and the Middle East. The deal comes as Ukraine prepares to harvest wheat in June, which will be market ready in July, and countries like Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Syria and East Africa have been experiencing drought and struggling with increased food prices. Russia had been threatening not to renew the deal over concerns that a separate agreement for Russian exports of food and fertilizer was not being honored. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed the extension and said that any problems would be resolved “at the technical level.”
