The United Nations and Russia began talks Friday about Russia’s continued participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which facilitates the export of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products from Back Sea ports.

Rebecca Greenspan, secretary-general of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development, held discussions with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin.

Before the talks, however, Vershinin said some recent Ukraine developments could not be overlooked in the talks.

Those events include the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in the Kharkov region and the destruction of Russia’s Togliatti Odessa ammonia pipeline, also in Kharkov. The pipeline is one of the world’s longest for transporting ammonia.

Russia said earlier this week a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group were behind the pipeline destruction.

The initial 120-day grain agreement has been extended several times, most recently in May.
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