The agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports, which was supposed to expire on Saturday, has been extended, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said, and a Ukrainian government minister said the extension was agreed to for 120 days, Reuters reports.

“The grain corridor agreement was supposed to expire today. As a result of our discussions with the two sides, we have reached an extension of this agreement,” Erdogan said during a speech in the western city of Canakkale, without elaborating on the duration of the agreement. agreed continuation.

The Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said that the agreement was extended for 120 days.

The deal was struck with Russia and Ukraine by the UN and Turkey in July — and extended for another 120 days in November — to deal with the global food crisis caused in part by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Earlier, Russia asked to extend the agreement for only 60 days, which is half of the previous extension period, while Ukraine insisted on a 120-day extension.

Russia has repeatedly accused Western countries of breaking their promise to lift restrictions affecting Russia’s ability to export agricultural products and fertilizers, and for that reason it said a 60-day extension would be “goodwill” towards Kyiv.