UN, Russia hold talks on extending wartime grain deal

GENEVA (AP) — Top Russian and U.N. officials held talks in Switzerland on Friday to try to iron out the extension of a deal allowing Ukrainian grain shipments and Russian food and fertilizer exports, with just over a week left before the wartime agreement meant to ease a global food crisis is set to expire.

U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths and U.N. trade chief Rebeca Grynspan, who has been in charge of the Russian side of the agreement, were meeting in Geneva with a Russian team led by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin.

“This discussion, it is hoped, should advance progress made in facilitating the unimpeded export of food and fertilizers originating from the Russian Federation to the global markets,” U.N. Geneva spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told reporters.

The deal is critical because Ukraine and Russia are major suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food, especially to parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia where many people are already going hungry and food prices have surged. A failure to renew the wartime agreement has raised fears that a global food crisis would get worse.

U.N. officials say the meeting will focus on “full implementation” of two separate agreements signed with Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on July 22. Russia briefly suspended its participation in the deal two weeks ago, alleging a Ukrainian drone attack on its Black Sea fleet in Crimea.

Russian authorities have said they are dissatisfied with the implementation of the accord and that they haven't yet decided whether to extend the agreement brokered by the U.N. and Turkey after it is set to expire on Nov. 18.

There are no U.S. or European Union sanctions on food and fertilizer shipments, but Russian diplomats have cited problems getting financing and insurance...