Russian representatives did not participate in negotiations on a possible extension of the Black Sea grain agreement, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said on March 12.

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Zakharova complained that “at present, only the Ukrainian part has been effectively implemented, while Russian agricultural exports continue to be blocked as a result of unilateral Western sanctions”.

She added that negotiations on the expansion of the Black Sea Grain Initiative between the Russian delegation and UN representatives are scheduled for March 13 in Geneva..

Earlier, Hulusi Akar, Turkish National Defense Minister who is one of the mediators in the agreement, said that the grain initiative is likely to be continued, as "

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a meeting this week that Kyiv and the United Nations would advocate for the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative..

However, back in February, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said that Russia considered it "