U.N. working on expanding grain export deal for a year 

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and his team are working to expand and extend for a year a U.N.-brokered deal allowing Ukrainian Black Sea grain exports, which could expire in late November, Report informs, citing Reuters.

"We're trying to remove the uncertainty to ensure that people are publicly saying that 'yes, this will be extended a further year,' but we're not there yet," said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, adding that U.N. officials are also working to facilitate Russian grain and fertilizer exports.

U.N. aid chief Martin Griffiths and senior U.N. trade official Rebeca Grynspan are set to travel to Moscow in about a week to discuss both issues with senior Russian officials, Dujarric told reporters.

"The Secretary-General and his team are engaged in intense contacts on these issues. Mr. Guterres and the team are working hard on having an expanded and extended Black Sea Grain Initiative," he said. "They're working actively to remove also the last obstacles to facilitate the export of Russian grain and fertilizer."