Russia Says Black Sea Grain Deal May Be Nearly Over

Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Türkiye December 11, 2022. REUTERS/Yoruk Isik/File Photo

Russia on Thursday said there would be no extension of the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal beyond May 18 unless the West removed a series of obstacles to the export of Russian grain and fertilizer.

The Ukraine grain Black Sea export deal was brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye in July last year to help alleviate a global food crisis worsened by conflict disrupting exports from two of the world's leading grain suppliers, Reuters said.