Russia agrees to extend Ukraine grain deal in a boost for global food security

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Russia has agreed to extend a deal that has allowed Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea, helping ease a global food crisis exacerbated by the war Russia launched more than a year ago.

Erdogan said Wednesday that the deal would be extended for two months.

The deal was brokered by the UN and Turkiye last summer. It came with a separate agreement to ease shipments of Russian food and fertiliser that Moscow insists hasn't been applied.

Russia had set a Thursday deadline for its concerns to be ironed out or had threatened to bow out.