G7 calls for extension full implementation and expansion of Black Sea grain deal

The Group of Seven (G7) economic powers called on Sunday for the extension, full implementation and expansion of a critical deal to export Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, the group's agriculture ministers said in a communiqué.

Brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, the deal was signed in Istanbul last July, allowing Ukraine to export more than 27 million tons of grain from several of its Black Sea ports.

Russia has strongly signaled that it will not allow the deal to continue beyond May 18 because a list of demands to facilitate its own grain and fertilizer exports has not been met.

In the communiqué after a two-day meeting in Miyazaki, Japan, the G7 agriculture ministers recognized the importance of the deal, saying, "We strongly support the extension, full implementation and expansion of the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI)."

"We condemn Russia's attempts to use food as a means of destabilization and as tool of geopolitical coercion and reiterate our commitment to acting in solidarity and supporting those most affected by Russia's weaponization of food," the communiqué said.

G7 members stand ready to support recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine, including by providing expertise in de-mining of agricultural land and reconstruction of agricultural infrastructure, the document said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is scheduled to discuss the Ukraine Black Sea grain export deal with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York.