Trudeau, Guterres express concern over Russia’s grain deal exit

Canada and the United Nations share concern over Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

The relevant statement was made by the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, following a meeting between Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) António Guterres, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“Both leaders expressed concern over Russia’s decision to withdraw participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative and its potential impacts on global food security, most notably amongst vulnerable populations,” the report states.

Additionally, Trudeau condemned Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine and highlighted “the global impacts of the conflict”.

Among other things, the two leaders discussed the political, security, and humanitarian crises in the Republic of Haiti and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

A reminder that, on July 17, 2023, Russia announced its withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was signed in Istanbul on July 22, 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sent official letters to President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and UN Secretary General António Guterres with a proposal to continue the Black Sea Grain Initiative or its analog in a trilateral format without Russia.