A Russian delegation announced on Monday that Moscow was ready to extend the Ukraine grain export deal following talks with the United Nations but only for a further 60 days.
Moscow said it wanted to see "tangible progress" on a parallel agreement on Russian exports before the deal comes up for renewal again.
The grain export deal has helped ease the global food crisis triggered by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. The invasion saw Ukraine's Black Sea ports blocked by warships until a deal signed in July allowed for the safe passage of exports of critical grain supplies.
More than 24.1 million tonnes have been exported under the UN and Turkey-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI), according to the United Nations.
The initial 120-day agreement was extended once in November, and was due to expire on March 18, and the Kremlin had cast doubt on whether it would agree to a fresh extension, claiming that the twin deal on Russian exports was not being respected. 219
