US welcomes 60-day extension of grain exports agreement – Kirby

Washington, Mar 21  The United States welcomes the extension of the United Nations-brokered grain exports agreement – formally known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative – for an additional 60 days, National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby said.
“The extension is for, I think, 60 days, not the 120 days that I think everybody was hoping for, but a 60-day extension, that’s a good thing,” Kirby said during a press briefing.
Russia has made it clear that the extension of the agreement is dependent on actually facilitating exports of Russian agricultural products as specified by the deal.
Under the deal, some 28 million tons of grain and foodstuffs have been shipped from Ukrainian and Russian ports via a safe Black Sea corridor to more than 45 countries, primarily to the collective West. By contrast, countries in Africa have received 3 million tons of grain.
Earlier on Monday, Russian President Putin pledged that Russia would continue to deliver grain to Africa if Moscow decides against extending the exports agreement in the future.