The Latest Breaking News from Black Sea

Safe passage for food exporters set to stay open for months

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Russia agreeing to renew the Black Sea grain deal was a sign that Moscow felt the world would not accept any refusal to extend it.

In Mykolaiv's blast-cratered district of Korabel, close to Ukraine's southern front, Pavel Salohub, a teacher of history and boxing, has not heard a single explosion in four days - the first such respite from war since Russia invaded.

Russia is expected to agree to an extension of a United Nations-brokered deal allowing exports of grain and other farm products from the Black Sea, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday.

The Kremlin said on Monday that talks with the United Nations last week on a deal safeguarding the shipment of grain from Ukrainian ports had been "fairly constructive", raising hopes that it can be rolled over smoothly.

United Nations chiefs held talks with Russian officials Friday on the Black Sea agreements on exporting grain and fertilizers, eight days before one of the deals is set to expire. The discussions took place behind closed doors at the UN Palais des Nations headquarters in Geneva and wrapped up mid-afternoon,…

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday backed a fundraising campaign to help Ukraine build a fleet of naval drones to protect its cities against Russian missile strikes from the Black Sea.

Senior United Nations officials met with a Russian delegation in Geneva on Friday to discuss Moscow's grievances about the Black Sea grains export initiative and address the need for unimpeded food and fertilizer exports, a U.N. spokesperson said.

The Kremlin said on Friday that work was underway to address a number of Russian concerns regarding the Black Sea grain initiative, which is due to expire on Nov. 19.