Russia agrees to extend Ukraine grain deal in a boost for global food security

By SUZAN FRASER and COURTNEY BONNELL
Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Russia has agreed to extend a deal that has allowed Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea to parts of the world struggling with hunger. Erdogan said Wednesday that the deal would be extended for two months. The breakthrough accord brokered by the U.N. and Turkey last summer came with a separate agreement to ease shipments of Russian food and fertilizer that Moscow insists hasn’t been applied. Russia had set a Thursday deadline for its concerns to be ironed out or had threatened to bow out. Russian officials confirmed the extension but neither they nor Erdogan immediately commented on any concessions Moscow may have received.