Scholz and Zelenski ask for the extension of the grain export agreement
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky on Monday called for the extension of the grain export agreement that makes it easier for Ukraine to access the international market, and which expires in July. In a phone call, both leaders called for the extension of the agreement “beyond July 17,” said the spokesman for the German chancellor, Steffen Hebestreit. In July 2022 Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations signed the “Black Sea Grain Initiative” to allow grain exports from Ukraine. This crucial agreement that helped alleviate the world food crisis caused by the war unleashed with the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has been extended several times, the last one in May, for two months, after intense negotiations in which Moscow demanded respect for a second agreement signed in parallel with the UN.