Hungary joined negotiations on the grain deal, UK Ministry of Defense
Photo: negotiations on the extension of the grain deal will be held in Turkey (Getty Images)
The Minister of Agriculture of Hungary will travel to Turkey for negotiations with his Turkish counterpart on the extension of an agreement allowing Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.
"Turkey is a key player in the long-term handling of market difficulties caused by Ukrainian grain imports (in Central Europe)," Hungarian Minister for Agriculture Istvan Nagy said.
Nagy stated he is negotiating with the Central and Eastern European countries affected by the increase in Ukrainian grain flows.
The deal is set to expire next week. Moscow has stated that it sees no grounds for an extension after July 17.
Grain deal
The United Nations and Turkey acted as intermediaries in a Black Sea deal between Russia and Ukraine in July 2022, aiming to prevent a global food crisis by allowing the export of Ukrainian grain captured during the Russian invasion from Black Sea ports.
Ukraine increased its dependence on routes through Eastern Europe. Five Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries sought to impose import restrictions, complaining that cheaper Ukrainian grain made domestic production unprofitable.
On May 2, the European Union allowed five countries—Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia—to ban the domestic sales of Ukrainian wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds, while permitting transit of grain shipments through them for export to other countries, including other EU member states.
Last month, the European Commission extended these restrictions on selling Ukrainian grain to the five countries until September 15.
