Kremlin says 'no grounds' to extend grain deal

The Kremlin on Wednesday restated its position that there are "no grounds" to extend the Black Sea grain deal, saying that the Turkish- and United Nations-brokered accord was not being properly implemented.

On a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the UN had been forced to acknowledge that "unfortunately, they are not managing to exert the necessary influence on the countries of the collective West in order to fulfil this Russian part of the agreement".

He was referring to a list of Russian demands, including for the removal of what Moscow says are obstacles to the export of its own grain and fertilisers.