Russia ties further extension of grain deal to lifting of restrictions

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Russia said on Monday it would not agree in May to the renewal of a deal allowing for the export of grain from Ukraine's Black Sea ports unless issues around the Swift financial messaging system are resolved and other restrictions are lifted. In a statement posted on its website, the Russian foreign ministry said Moscow had decided to limit the extension of the deal to 60 days, until May 18, over what it called "a lack of progress... on normalisation of domestic agricultural exports". The deal, brokered last July by the United Nations and Turkey, was extended by a further 120 days in November, a term that expired on Saturday.