In letter to Putin, UN chief proposes way forward on Ukraine Black Sea grain deal

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for photos as they attended a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on "Effective multilateralism through the defence of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations," at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., April 24, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has proposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin a "way forward aimed at the improvement, extension and expansion" of a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain, a U.N. spokesperson said on Monday.

Guterres outlined his proposal in a letter that he asked Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to deliver to Putin, deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement after Guterres and Lavrov met in New York.