Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary General António Guterres at a meeting in Kyiv spoke in favor of continuing the grain agreement, which expires on March 18.
The head of the UN, António Guterres, has again arrived in Kyiv. In his third visit to Ukraine since the war began, 73-year-old Guterres met with President Volodymyr Zelensky to negotiate an extension of the grain deal.
The grain will not stop
The contract to export Ukrainian grain through the Russian-controlled Black Sea expires on March 18, and the UN is pushing for another extension. The initiative was established by the United Nations and Turkey in July and was renewed in November.
“Now we are interested in ensuring that there is no hunger in the world. And another common policy is the expansion of the “grain corridor”. We have raised the issue of the future extension of this initiative, details of how we can further help the world . and expand the initiative,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the meeting with the UN chief.
“I want to note the extreme importance of continuing the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” Guterres said for his part.
RF position
Russian media, citing UN representatives, reported that a Russian delegation will take part in negotiations on a grain deal next week. To do this, he will go to Geneva.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has previously stated that Russia’s terms of the deal were not respected by Western countries. The Russian side demands that when the agreement is extended, the interests of Russian agricultural producers, which are allegedly blocked by Western countries to export, should be taken into account.
At the same time, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said last week that Russia is using the grain agreement as a tool of pressure and has systematically and deliberately violated its terms in recent months.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday that Ankara was making every effort to extend the “grain deal”.
The future of the UN
Zelensky said that now Ukraine is deciding what the future of the UN will be and what international role the organization will play in the future.
“Now and surely it is Ukraine that defends the goals and principles of the UN Charter. This means that now and surely in Ukraine the future of the UN and the international role of the United Nations is being decided,” Zelensky emphasized. .
The goal of the UN in the context of the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine is to achieve a just peace in accordance with the UN Charter and international law, Guterres said.
“The position of the UN is absolutely clear – the aggression of Russia in Ukraine is a violation of the UN Charter and international law. The sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine must be preserved in accordance with the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. Our ultimate goal is also clear – a just world in accordance with the UN Charter, international law and the resolution of the General Assembly on the occasion of the anniversary of the start of the war,” the Secretary General emphasized.
He added that until this is achieved, the UN will continue to work to alleviate the suffering of the people of Ukraine and reduce the global consequences of the war.
Source: korrespondent
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