Russia's top diplomat Lavrov sees no reason to extend grain deal

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov delivers a speech during a reception on the occasion of Africa Day in Moscow, Russia, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Friday it saw no reason to extend the Black Sea grain deal beyond July 17 because the West had acted in such an "outrageous" way over the agreement, but assured poor countries that Russian grain exports would continue.

The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative last July to help tackle a global food crisis worsened by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine - something it calls "a special military operation" - and its blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports.