INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to extend the Black Sea grain deal which expires next week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said on Friday.Erdogan told reporters he had spoken with his Russian counterpart about the crucial deal allowing for the export of
Ukrainian grain to ease a global food crisis.The deal, signed five months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is set to expire on Monday,
August and we agree on the extension of the Black Sea grain corridor," Erdogan told reporters.But when asked by Russian press agencies, the
Kremlin spokesperson did not confirm Erdogan's claims."There is no statement about this from the Russian side," Dmitry Peskov
vulnerable countries would suffer without it."Developing countries including in the region will pay the price including quite literally with
higher food prices, as well as greater food scarcity," Blinken told reporters after Southeast Asian talks.UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres this week sent Putin a letter about the extension of the deal
Thursday warned that "not one" of Moscow's conditions for the deal to function had been met."I want to emphasise that nothing was done,
It's all one-sided," Putin said in a televised interview, adding: "We will think about what to do, we have a few more days."The deal,
the grain has gone to feed people in developing countries in Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere
If the exports were again blocked, food prices could spiral even higher than they are now.
