Ukraine launched the shipping corridor hugging its western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria in August, a month after Russia quit a year-long landmark deal – brokered by the United Nations and Turkey – that had allowed the safe Black Sea export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukraine grain.

Ukraine is on track to export all grain from its 2023 harvest despite Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports and infrastructure, Britain’s foreign office said this month.

“We … created the new route in the Black Sea,” Zelenskiy told CNN in an interview, describing the shipping corridor as a “big success” for so far allowing the export of about 30 million tonnes of grain and other agricultural products.

But he warned that if the U.S. Congress did not approve $60 billion in new security aid then the future of the shipping corridor would be in doubt. The United Nations blamed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine two years ago for worsening a global food crisis. Ukraine and Russia are both major grain exporters.

“I think the route will be closed…because to defend it, it’s also about some ammunition, some air defense, and some other systems,” Zelenskiy said.

The U.N. says there have been dozens of attacks on Ukraine’s grain production and export facilities. Russia says it targets military infrastructure, not civilian infrastructure.

Conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives are threatening to block further military aid. Ukraine is running short of personnel and ammunition, especially heavy artillery rounds, and it has lost ground after retaking about half of the territory Russia seized when it invaded in February 2022.

Ukraine harvested about 80 million tons of grain and oilseeds in 2023, including an exportable surplus of about 50 million tons in the 2023/24 July-June season, the country’s government has said.

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WFP’s Ukraine director, Matthew Hollingworth, said a forthcoming report by the U.N. Human Rights Office (OHCHR) would show that since mid-July there have been 31 documented attacks on Ukraine’s grain production and export facilities.

He told the U.N. Security Council that “28 of these attacks were in Odesa oblast alone, which is home of the vital Black Sea and Danube River terminals essential for global trade.”

“If attacks on food infrastructure and the blockage of sea export routes continue, it will dramatically impact the agricultural production outlook over years to come, and may, in a worst-case scenario, lead to wheat production being unable to meet domestic and export demand,” Hollingworth said.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the Security Council on Tuesday that Moscow targets military infrastructure, not civilian infrastructure.

The United Nations has blamed Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine for worsening a global food crisis. Ukraine and Russia are both major grain exporters. Russia also is a big supplier of fertilizer to the world.

Russia’s agriculture minister said last week that Moscow had begun free grain shipments totaling up to 200,000 tonnes to six African states, as promised by President Vladimir Putin in July.

Hollingworth said that before the war Ukraine made up nine per cent of global wheat exports, 15 per cent of maize and 44 per cent of sunflower oil.

U.N. officials are trying to revive the Black Sea grain deal, which Russia quit in July — a year after it was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey — complaining that its own food and fertilizer exports faced obstacles and that not enough Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Reuters earlier this month that it will be difficult to revive the Black Sea deal, under which nearly 33 million metric tonnes of Ukraine grain were exported.

Ukraine launched what it calls a temporary export corridor in August to allow agricultural exports as an alternative arrangement. More than 700,000 metric tonnes of grain have left Ukrainian ports via the new route.

— Michelle Nichols reports for Reuters from the United Nations.

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U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths also attended the meetings virtually, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “continues in his determination to facilitate the unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation,” Dujarric said.

He added that Grynspan and Griffiths’ consultations with Russia “are taking place with this goal in mind.”

The United Nations has blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine for worsening a global food crisis. Ukraine and Russia are both major grain exporters and Moscow is also a big supplier of fertilizer to the world.

U.N. officials are working to try and revive a deal that had allowed the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain.

Russia quit the pact in July — a year after it was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey — complaining that its own food and fertilizer exports faced obstacles and that not enough Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need.

While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanctions imposed after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have hindered shipments.

To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal last year, U.N. officials said they would help facilitate Russian exports.

Guterres sent Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a letter in August outlining measures that the United Nations could help to improve Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports in a bid to convince Moscow to return to a deal.

Lavrov said late last month that Russia has not rejected the U.N. proposals, but described them as “simply not realistic.”

— Reporting for Reuters by Michelle Nichols at the U.N.

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“SWIFT has confirmed that RSHB Capital S.A. would be eligible to apply for membership and access to SWIFT for food and fertilizer transactions, based on its current status as an issuer of debt securities,” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Aug. 28.

Guterres outlined four measures that the United Nations could facilitate to improve Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports in a bid to convince Moscow to return to a deal that had allowed the safe Black Sea export of Ukrainian grain.

He told Lavrov that the U.N. was immediately ready to move on all measures “based on the clear understanding that their realization will lead to the Russian Federation’s return to the Black Sea Initiative and the full resumption of operations.”

The Russian foreign ministry expressed skepticism in a statement on Wednesday at the proposals made by Guterres.

“Instead of actual exemptions from sanctions, all Russia got was a new dose of promises from the U.N. Secretariat,” it said. “These recent proposals do not contain any new elements and cannot serve as a foundation for making any tangible progress in terms of bringing our agricultural exports back to normal.”

Russia quit the deal in July, a year after it was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey to combat a global food crisis that the U.N. said was worsened by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are both leading grain exporters.

SWIFT access

Moscow had complained that its exports faced obstacles and not enough Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need under the Black Sea deal. Ukraine exported nearly 33 million tonnes of grains under the pact, which the U.N. said benefited poor states by helping lower food prices more than 20 per cent globally.

Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports are not subject to Western sanctions but Moscow said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have been a barrier to shipments.

A key Russian demand has been the reconnection of the Russian Agricultural Bank, Rosselkhozbank, to the SWIFT international payments system. It was cut off by the European Union in June 2022 after Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine.

Guterres said from an operational standpoint, the U.N. proposal would see the RAB subsidiary essentially act as an intermediary between global financial institutions and RAB in Moscow. The subsidiary would be able to exchange messages on SWIFT with global banks. It could then pass those messages to RAB on the Russian messaging system called SPFS.

“SWIFT has already confirmed that an expedited application process could be possible, bringing the time for effective access within 30 days,” Guterres wrote.

Insurance for Russian exports

Guterres also said a U.N. co-sponsored insurance facility for Russian food and fertilizer exports could be finalized with Lloyd’s of London and a lead underwriter “to be ready for operationalization within four-six weeks.”

“The facility will provide key insurance products for exports of Russian food and fertilizer, beginning with cargo insurance, and potentially expanding to also include hull and P+1,” Guterres wrote.

The United Nations would support the platform by helping increase the number of market participants “with the ultimate goal of bringing down insurance costs for Russian exporters.”

Lloyd’s CEO John Neal also told Reuters on Thursday that Lloyd’s was in talks with the United Nations over providing insurance cover for Ukrainian grain shipments if the Black Sea grain deal can be revived.

Guterres also told Lavrov that the U.N. could continue to help unblock assets related to Russian fertilizer companies in the European Union, but he said Moscow needed to provide a list of specific accounts or assets and an agreed benchmark needed to be set.

Russian fertilizer companies would also have to apply to national authorities within the EU for exemptions and the U.N. would engage with the EU on those requests.

The fourth measure outlined by Guterres was a U.N. willingness to further explore ways to facilitate access to EU ports for Russian vessels carrying agricultural products.

“Engagement has already taken place with the European Commission and select port authorities (Germany, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands) to assess the current state,” he wrote. “The United Nations can help clarify the authorization process for different EU ports and work with Russian counterparts on obtaining the authorizations/permits pre-departure, if required.”

— Reporting for Reuters by Michelle Nichols.

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“We believe that it’s necessary to create a system of mutual guarantee,” Guterres told reporters on the sidelines of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Jakarta.

“Guarantee that the Russian Federation is able, indeed, to overcome difficulties that still exist, even if many have been solved and, at the same time, guarantees that we that we will have the restoration of the Black Sea initiative,” he said.

Guterres last week sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov “a set of concrete proposals” aimed at reviving the Black Sea grain deal, which Russia quit in July — a year after it was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

Moscow had complained that its agricultural exports faced obstacles and not enough Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need under the Black Sea deal. Ukraine and Russia are both leading grain exporters.

The Black Sea grain deal aimed to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports are not subject to Western sanctions but Moscow said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have been a barrier to shipments.

Russia’s foreign ministry on Wednesday dismissed the U.N. bid to revive the Black Sea deal as “a new dose of promises.”

It also publicly outlined the proposals made by Guterres in his letter to Lavrov: “reconnecting a subsidiary of the Russian Agricultural Bank to SWIFT, creating an insurance platform, unblocking the foreign assets of Russian fertilizer producers and enabling our ships to enter European ports.”

“In exchange, they want Russia to guarantee that the Black Sea Initiative resumes immediately and in full,” the ministry said in a statement.

A U.N. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Russia’s description of the U.N. proposals.

Guterres on Thursday described the problems faced by the U.N. in helping Russia overcome obstacles to its exports.

“The difficulties we are facing to get the goodwill of the other partners around the world are dramatically increased when the Russian Federation bombs harbour installations and warehouses of grain,” Guterres said in Jakarta.

After withdrawing from the Black Sea pact Russia began targeting Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube River and global grain prices spiked.

Russia has also threatened to target Ukraine-bound civilian vessels, prompting Kyiv to responded by announcing similar measures against vessels bound for Russia or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.

— Reporting for Reuters by Michelle Nichols.

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Russia quit the deal on July 17. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that if Russia wants to get its own fertilizer to global markets and make agricultural transactions “they’re going to have to return to this deal.”

“We have seen indications that they might be interested in returning to discussions. So we will wait to see whether that actually happens,” she said at a press conference, without giving further details.

Moscow has suggested that if its demands to improve its own exports of grain and fertilizer were met it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement, brokered in July 2022 by the U.N. and Turkey to help ease a global food crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports are not subject to Western sanctions but Moscow has said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have been a barrier to shipments.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met a week ago with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin – who led Moscow’s negotiations to agree the Black Sea deal – on the sidelines of a U.N. food systems summit in Rome.

“Had there been a breakthrough, I think it would have been shared with you,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.

After withdrawing from the Black Sea pact Russia began targeting Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure on the Black Sea and Danube River and global grain prices spiked.

Russia has also threatened to target Ukraine-bound civilian vessels, prompting Kyiv to responded by announcing similar measures against vessels bound for Russia or Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.

Nearly 33 million tonnes of Ukraine grain was exported under the Black Sea deal. Ukraine and Russia are both leading grain exporters.

“The Secretary-General is continuing his efforts to find a path forward to bring the Russians back into the deal,” Thomas-Greenfield said, noting that part of the deal was “to provide some support for Russia’s fertilizer to get to the market.”

“If they’re not in the deal, that part of the deal is no longer working,” she said.

The accord allowed for the export of Russian ammonia – a main ingredient in nitrate fertilizer – via a pipeline to the Ukrainian port of Odesa. But the pipeline has lain idle since the start of the war and was then damaged in June.

–Reporting for Reuters by Michelle Nichols.

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Moscow suggested that if demands to improve exports of its own grain and fertilizer were met it would consider resurrecting the Black Sea agreement. However, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that a U.N. pact that helped Russia to make shipments over the past year was also terminated.

“Only upon receipt of concrete results, and not promises and assurances, will Russia be ready to consider restoring the deal,” said Russia’s foreign ministry.

Russia told the U.N. shipping agency – the International Maritime Organization (IMO) – that its “guarantees for the safety of navigation” had been revoked and that “proactive necessary actions and response measures to neutralize threats posed by the Kiev regime in the area will be taken.”

Insurers on Monday were reviewing whether to freeze cover for any ships willing to sail to Ukraine. The reaction on the grains market was modest, with U.S. wheat futures Wv1 up about 3% while U.S. corn futures Cv1 rose nearly 1%.

“I think there is market belief that Russia and the EU have large supplies of wheat which can meet world demand in the coming months, with harvests arriving,” one German trader said.

The Black Sea deal was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey in July last year to combat a global food crisis worsened by Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s top grain exporters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Monday everything must be done so that the Black Sea grain export corridor continues to be used, his spokesperson said.

“Today’s decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere,” U.N. chief Guterres told reporters.

The U.N. would continue trying to ensure unimpeded access to global markets for food products and fertilizers from Ukraine and Russia, Guterres said.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, described Moscow’s move as an “act of cruelty.”

Last ship has sailed

Nearly 33 million metric tons of corn, wheat and other grains have been exported by Ukraine under the arrangement. The last ship left Ukraine under the deal on Sunday.

To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, a three-year memorandum of understanding was struck in July 2022 under which U.N. officials agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets.

Russia’s main demands were the resumption of its ammonia exports through a pipeline to the Ukrainian port of Odesa and the reconnection of its state agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT international payments system. It was cut off by the European Union in June last year after the invasion.

Guterres said on Monday that the U.N. had managed to create a “bespoke payments mechanism” for the Russian Agricultural Bank through U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase & CoJPM.N and “recently brokered a concrete proposal” with the European Commission to enable a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to regain access to SWIFT.

But he signalled that all those efforts would end because Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea deal also terminated its pact with the U.N. on its own exports, under which Moscow had committed to “facilitate the unimpeded export of food, sunflower oil, and fertilizers from Ukrainian-controlled Black Sea Ports.”

Global hunger

Guterres had made a final attempt to save the Black Sea grain deal by writing to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday last week to ask him to extend it in exchange for the cooperation of the European Commission on Rosselkhozbank.

In a letter to Guterres on Monday, Russia said the options presented “are not feasible and will not ensure uninterrupted cross-border financial transactions,” Russia’s deputy U.N. envoy Dmitry Polyanskiy posted on Twitter. He said the letter informed Guterres that Moscow was terminating the Black Sea grain deal.

European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Russia’s decision a “cynical move”, adding that the EU would continue to work towards ensuring food security for poor countries.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he believed Putin wants the continuation of the deal, adding that he will discuss it when they meet in person in August.

Russia had agreed three times in the past year to extend the Black Sea deal, but also briefly suspended its participation at the end of October in response to a drone attack on its fleet in Crimea.

There was concern about the impact the expiry of the pact would have on feeding the hungry worldwide.

Under the deal, the U.N. said its World Food Program (WFP) has procured 80% of its wheat so far in 2023 from Ukraine – up from 50% in 2021 and 2022. The WFP has shipped about 725,000 metric tons of Ukrainian wheat to Afghanistan, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Yemen to fight hunger.

“Rations are being cut to children every day now across the world – it is utterly dramatic and this (deal) was one of the few glimmers of hope in this age of Biblical starvation,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

— Reporting by Reuters reporters; writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Michelle Nichols.

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Guterres wrote to Putin on Tuesday asking him to extend the Black Sea deal in return for connecting a subsidiary of Russia’s Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the international payment system SWIFT, sources told Reuters.

The last ship traveling under the Black Sea deal is loading its cargo at Ukraine’s Odesa port. Russia has not agreed to register any new ships since June 27 and the initiative will expire on Monday if Moscow does not agree to extend it.

Russia has threatened to quit the deal — brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022 — because Moscow has said its demands to improve its own grain and fertilizer exports have not been met. Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s top grain exporters.

More than 32 million metric tonnes of corn, wheat and other grains have been exported by Ukraine under the arrangement. Russia has complained that not enough has reached poor countries, but the U.N. has argued that it has benefited those states by helping lower food prices more than 20 per cent globally.

“Discussions are being had, WhatsApp messages are being sent, Signal messages are being sent and exchanged. We’re also waiting for a response to the letter,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters when asked about negotiations.

Russia has not made any statements on the extension of the Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said on Friday after Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan earlier caused confusion when he said that he was in agreement with Putin that it should be extended.

According to TASS news agency, Putin said on Thursday he had not seen the letter from Guterres proposing an extension of the deal, but that Russia was in contact with U.N. officials.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday pushed for Russia to extend and expand the Black Sea deal, accusing Russia of using the agreement “as a weapon” by threatening to end it.

“If Russia is not going to end its horrific war of aggression against Ukraine, at the very least it could extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative so that these food products can get out to the world, keeping prices down, keeping supply up,” Blinken told a news conference in Jakarta.

To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, a three-year memorandum of understanding was struck in July 2022 under which U.N. officials agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets.

While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have amounted to a barrier to shipments.

A key demand by Russia is the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT. It was cut off by the EU in June 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The EU is considering connecting a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT to allow for grain and fertilizer transactions, sources familiar with discussions said on Wednesday.

— Michelle Nichols is Reuters’ UN bureau chief in New York City.

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The U.N. and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help alleviate a global food crisis worsened by Moscow’s invasion and blockade of Ukrainian ports. Ukraine and Russia are among the world’s leading grain exporters.

The EU is considering connecting a subsidiary of the Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the international payment network SWIFT to allow for grain and fertilizer transactions, sources familiar with discussions told Reuters on Wednesday.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed in a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Moscow allow the Black Sea grain deal to continue for several months to give the EU time to connect a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT, two of those sources familiar with discussions told Reuters.

During a visit to Brussels on Thursday, Guterres told reporters that he had not yet received a response from Russia. He said his letter to Putin contained “concrete proposals that I hope can allow us to find a positive way forward.”

According to TASS news agency, Putin said he had not seen the letter from Guterres proposing an extension of the deal, but said Russia was in contact with U.N. officials.

“We can suspend our participation in the deal, and if everyone once again says that all the promises made to us will be fulfilled, then let them fulfill this promise. We will immediately rejoin this deal,” he told Russian state television.

A Kremlin spokesman later said that Russia had not taken a final decision on whether to exit the grain deal.

EU ‘open to explore solutions’

The European Commission’s priority is to ensure that Ukrainian grain can reach the world market and it calls on all parties to extend the Black Sea deal, an EU spokesperson in Brussels said on Thursday.

“We are assisting the talks led by the U.N. and Turkey as required,” the spokesperson said. “We are of course open to explore all solutions that contribute to our objective, whilst continuing to ensure that Russia’s ability to wage war in Ukraine is hampered as much as possible.”

A key demand by Moscow is the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT. It was cut off by the EU in June 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later on Thursday urged Putin to extend the deal. “The ball is in President Putin’s court and the world is watching,” she said.

Russia has threatened to ditch the Black Sea grain deal because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertilizer abroad have not been met. The last ship traveling under the Black Sea agreement is currently loading its cargo at the Ukrainian port of Odesa ahead of the Monday deadline.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he spoke with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday and that they both agreed it was “vital” to extend the Black Sea deal.

“It is very important that there be no threat to food security anywhere in the world. And Russia must clearly realize that anyone who increases the threat of famine, particularly in critical areas of Africa, terrorizes the entire world with famine,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

‘Ball in Russia’s court’

More than 32 million tonnes of corn, wheat and other grains have been exported by Ukraine under the arrangement. Russia has complained that not enough reaches poor countries, but the UN argues that it has benefited those states by helping lower food prices more than 20 per cent globally.

To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, a three-year memorandum of understanding was struck in July 2022 under which UN officials agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets.

While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have amounted to a barrier to shipments.

As a workaround to the lack of access to SWIFT, UN officials have got U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase to start processing some Russian grain export payments with reassurances from the U.S. government.

The UN is also working with the African Export-Import Bank to create a platform to help process transactions for Russian exports of grain and fertilizer to Africa, a UN trade official told Reuters last month.

— Reporting for Reuters by Michelle Nichols; additional reporting by Foo Yun Chee in Brussels and Ron Popeski.

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Russia has threatened to ditch the grain deal, which expires on Monday, because several demands to dispatch its own grain and fertilizer abroad have not been met. The last two ships traveling under the Black Sea agreement are currently loading cargoes at the Ukrainian port of Odesa ahead of the deadline.

A key demand by Moscow is the reconnection of the Russian agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank to the SWIFT international payment network. It was cut off by the European Union in June 2022 over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. An EU spokesperson said in May the EU was not considering reinstating Russian banks.

However, the EU is considering connecting to SWIFT a subsidiary of Rosselkhozbank to allow specifically for grain and fertilizer transactions, three sources familiar with discussions told Reuters on Wednesday. The European Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Guterres has proposed to Putin that Russia allow the Black Sea grain deal to continue for several months, giving the EU time to connect a Rosselkhozbank subsidiary to SWIFT, two of those sources familiar with discussions told Reuters.

Guterres sent a letter to Putin on Tuesday proposing a way forward to further facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports and ensure the continued Black Sea shipments of Ukrainian grain, a U.N. spokesman said on Wednesday.

“The objective is to remove hurdles affecting financial transactions through the Russian Agricultural Bank, a major concern expressed by the Russian Federation, and simultaneously allow for the continued flow of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

He gave no further details on the proposal, but added that Guterres was engaged with all relevant parties on the issue and was willing to further discuss his proposal with Russia.

A spokesperson for the Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help alleviate a global food crisis worsened by Moscow’s invasion and blockade of Ukrainian ports.

To convince Russia to agree to the Black Sea deal, a three-year memorandum of understanding was struck at the same time under which U.N. officials agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets.

While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have amounted to a barrier to shipments.

As a workaround to the lack of access to SWIFT, U.N. officials have gotten U.S. bank JPMorgan Chase to start processing some Russian grain export payments with reassurances from the U.S. government.

The United Nations is also working with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to create a platform to help process transactions for Russian exports of grain and fertilizer to Africa, the top U.N. trade official told Reuters last month.

— Reporting for Reuters by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations.

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