Ukraine seeks extension of Black Sea grain deal with Russia and Turkey.

The head of the World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, has warned that it will be difficult to feed the world if Russia pulls out of the Ukraine grain deal, which is due to expire on 18 May. The export agreement has allowed Ukraine to transport millions of tonnes of food despite the ongoing conflict. Ukraine is a major global exporter of sunflower, maize, wheat and barley, and more than half of the wheat grain procured by the WFP last year came from there. Russia has issued a list of demands regarding its own agricultural exports that it wants met before it agrees to an extension, including restarting a pipeline that delivers Russian ammonia to a Ukrainian Black Sea port, which the UN has been pushing for.