UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday that UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths has stressed that the United Nations will remain committed to working with all parties involved in the Black Sea Grain Initiative to keep operations of grain exports ongoing.

"Mr. Griffiths stressed that the United Nations will continue to work closely with all sides to achieve the continuation and full implementation of the Initiative, in pursuit of their broader shared commitment to addressing global food insecurity," the statement said.  

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said the initiative may cease to exist if an agreement on extending the deal is not reached by May 18. 

A high-level meeting on the grain agreement is due to be held in Turkey's Istanbul in a four-party format on May 10 and 11.

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Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey signed an UN-brokered agreement on July 22 to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships transporting food and fertilizers from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

The deal was extended on March 18 for a period of 60 days instead of the 120-day period originally specified in the agreement.

The grain export deal has helped ease the global food crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine and the Western sanctions against Russia.

According to the United Nations, more than 24.1 million tonnes of grain have been exported under the agreement until March. But Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed in October 2022 that only a quarter of the grain exported under the BSGI is going to low-income countries.

Agriculture ministers of the G7 member states considered on April 23 that the deal is vital to the "EU-Ukraine Solidarity Lanes" and announced their support for extending and expanding the deal.

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