Guterres to discuss grain deal in Kiev

MOSCOW. March 7 (Interfax) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is travelling to Ukraine for an official visit to discuss the Istanbul grain deal, Ukrainian media reported, citing the UN press service.

The secretary-general arrived in Poland en route to Ukraine, where he is due to meet Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on Wednesday morning to discuss the continuation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in all its aspects, as well as other pressing issues, according to the press service.

This is the secretary-general's third visit to Ukraine over the past year, the press service said.

The deal was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022 with the participation of the UN, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. The documents created a corridor to export grain from three ports in Ukraine: Chernomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny. In late February, it was reported that Ukraine's food exports under the deal exceeded 22 million tonnes.

The deal expires on March 18.