Uncertainty Looms Over Black Sea Grain Deal Extension.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, an international agreement that reopened key ports in Ukraine and guaranteed food security for millions, is set to expire on May 18. Russia has yet to decide if it will extend the deal, which was brokered in July 2022. The agreement allowed for the resumption of grain exports from Ukraine, which had come to a halt due to the war in Ukraine. Moscow has called for the resumption of exports of Russian ammonia via a pipeline through Ukraine to the port of Odesa and for the Russian Agricultural Bank to return to the SWIFT banking system.