G7 calls for extension of Black Sea grain deal

The Group of Seven on Sunday called for the "extension, full implementation and expansion" of a grain deal that has been essential to export Ukrainian produce through the Black Sea.

G7 agriculture ministers "recognized the importance" of the deal, following a two-day meeting in Miyazaki, Japan. "We strongly support the extension, full implementation and expansion" of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, they said in a communiqué.

Under the pact, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, some 28 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain have been exported since last July, including to poor countries facing the brunt of the global food crisis.

But Russia is threatening to walk away from the agreement unless its demands are met, portending a return to the full-scale maritime blockade that halted Ukraine’s grain exports in the months after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February last year. The Kremlin has warned that ship registrations would only continue until May 18.

"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 G7 ministers said in the communiqué.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday warned on Telegram that if the G7 moved to ban exports to Russia, Moscow would terminate the grain deal. The G7 countries are reportedly considering a near-total ban on exports to Russia.

The call comes as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to meet with U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in New York in coming days to discuss an extension of the deal beyond May 18.