South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the possibility of extending the timeframe of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as the deadline looms for the UN-brokered deal to move grain from Russia and Ukraine in the aftermath of the war between the two eastern Europe neighbours.
In a statement late Saturday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the South African leader had a telephone conversation with Putin following an earlier call he had with United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres about the ongoing negotiations between Russia and the UN about the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
“The discussions also revolved around the African Leaders Peace Mission and the need for a permanent and sustainable solution to the movement of grain from Russia and Ukraine to the international markets,” Magwenya said.
He added: As part of ongoing engagements on the conflict in Ukraine and the Black Sea Grain Initiative, President Ramaphosa also held a telephone discussion with President Zelenskyy on Thursday, 13 July.”
The initiative is expected to expire on Monday unless Moscow agrees to extend it.
The UN is pushing to keep the fragile deal intact, with Ukraine and Russia both major suppliers of wheat, barley, vegetable oil and other food products that countries in Africa and Asia rely on.
It has allowed Ukraine to export 32.8 metric tonnes of grain to both developed and developing countries, and has helped to stabilise the price of wheat following spikes experienced soon after Russia’s invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa would continue to hold discussions with Putin, Zelensky and Guterres about the grain initiative and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The South African leader last month led a delegation of African heads of state who visited Russia and Ukraine to broker peace between the two neighbours.
