Negotiations on extending the Black Sea grain corridor will begin within a week, Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yuriy Vaskov said on Friday.
"Negotiations on extending the grain corridor will begin in a week and then we will understand the positions of all parties," Vaskov said during a grain conference. "I think common sense will prevail and the corridor will be extended."
The Black Sea Grain Initiative brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations last July allowed grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports that had been blockaded by Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Kyiv on Wednesday appealed to the U.N. and Türkiye to urge Russia to cease obstructing grain shipments that provide food to millions of people and to refrain from using food as a political tool.
The country has repeatedly accused Russia of delaying inspections of ships carrying Ukrainian agricultural goods, leading to reduced shipments and losses for traders.
Russia has previously denied the accusations, saying it is meeting all its obligations under the grain export deal.
Russia said this week that it would be "inappropriate" to extend the Black Sea grain deal unless sanctions affecting its agricultural exports are lifted and other issues are resolved.
The agreement was extended by a further 120 days in November and is up for renewal again next month, but Russia has signaled that it is unhappy with some aspects of the deal and asked for sanctions affecting its agricultural exports to be lifted.
Russia's agricultural exports have not been explicitly targeted by Western sanctions, but Moscow says blocks on its payments, logistics and insurance industries are a "barrier" to its being able to export its own grains and fertilizers.
