MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/: Contacts on the grain deal continue, but have yielded no results thus far, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday. He did not go into detail about any future negotiations on the initiative, which expires on May 18.
"I can't tell you anything specific about [their] level, location, or time. Contacts continue, but they haven't yielded any results so far," he said.
Peskov recalled that the agreement was extended for two months, adding that this is "an absolutely timed decision," with Russia's "well-known" requirements. "The terms of the agreement regarding the Russian agricultural industry have not been met. The conversation will continue. That's all I can say," Peskov added.
Reuters reported earlier on Tuesday, citing an unnamed Ukrainian source, that the UN-backed Black Sea grain initiative negotiations with the participation of all parties are scheduled for May 3. "Talks are scheduled for tomorrow. All parties... hopefully there will be results,"the source told Reuters.
The agreements on food exports from Ukraine were signed on July 22 for a period of 120 days. The agreements were then extended for the same period last November. On March 18, Russia announced a 60-day extension of the deal, warning that this would be enough time to assess the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN. The Russian Foreign Ministry also pointed out that a further decision on the extension of the deal would depend on reconnecting Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) back to the SWIFT system, resuming supplies of agricultural machinery, spare parts and service, lifting restrictions on insurance and reinsurance, lifting the ban on access to ports, resuming operation of the Togliatti-Odessa pipeline, unblocking foreign assets and accounts of Russian companies involved in the production and transportation of food and fertilizers.
