![A general view from the a U.N. Security Council meeting. The Black Sea Grain Initiative should be extended and expanded, Blinken said in the meeting [Fatih Aktaş - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/AA-20230224-30404406-30404387-UN_SECURITY_COUNCIL_MEETING_IN_NEW_YORK.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&quality=85&strip=all&zoom=1&ssl=1)
Germany, on Monday, called on Russia to reconsider its decision to suspend the Black Sea grain export agreement, emphasising that the dispute should not be fought "on the backs of the poor", Anadolu Agency reports.
Christiane Hoffmann, the government's spokeswoman, said at a news conference in Berlin that her country "continues to appeal to Russia to make a further extension of the grain agreement possible and not to fight out this dispute on the backs of the poorest on this planet."
"And we are hoping for a grain agreement which is not always agreed upon for a limited period or for a short period of time, but that we are hoping that it will also be possible to export grain and fertiliser from Ukraine in the long-term," she added.
Earlier in the day, the Kremlin announced that it has suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain export accord which was due to expire on Monday.
The agreement, initially signed in July of last year in Istanbul by Turkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine, was aimed at resuming grain exports from Ukrainian ports. These exports had been halted as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war which began in February 2022.
On 18 May, the deal was extended for an additional 60 days, ensuring the continuation of grain exports under the agreement.
READ: Turkiye President voices hope for Black Sea grain deal extension
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