Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said today that he believes the agreement allowing the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea will be extended beyond March 18, when it expires.

The initiative (The Black Sea Grain Initiative) agreed between Russia and Ukraine with the mediation of the UN, but also Turkey last July, aimed to prevent a global food crisis, through the safe export of grain from three Ukrainian ports , as exports were hampered by the Russian invasion.

The implementation of the agreement was extended for 120 days in November and will be renewed on March 18, if there are no objections from any side involved.

However, Moscow has already hinted that it will agree to extend the deal only if restrictions affecting its own exports are lifted.

Turkey has previously stated that it is working hard to extend the implementation of the agreement. “In separate talks with the Russian and Ukrainian sides, we see that the two sides are approaching the agreement positively. We believe that the efforts to extend it will be completed positively,” said Akar in an interview with the state-run Anatoli news agency.

“We are of the opinion that the implementation period of the agreement will be extended on March 18”, he added.

Russia’s agricultural exports have not been directly targeted by the West, but Moscow says remittance sanctions, as well as the transport insurance sector, are hampering its ability to export its own grain, but also Russian fertilizers.

Russia has complained that Ukrainian grain exported under the agreement goes to rich countries.

Both Ukraine and Russia are world leaders in grain and fertilizer exports.