PARIS

France on Wednesday hailed efforts by Türkiye and the UN to extend the Black Sea grain deal before it expires next week.

In a statement, the French Foreign Ministry called on Russia to extend the initiative, underlining that the war in Ukraine had aggravated food insecurity and world hunger by blocking Ukrainian food exports.

It called on Moscow to "stop blackmailing" global food security.

The Black Sea grain deal helped dispatch almost a thousand ships carrying 32 million tons of cereals since March 2022 from Ukraine, with the efforts of Türkiye and the UN, the statement read.

The ministry also said France would step up work to reduce food security risks threatening the most vulnerable populations around the world.

Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine, and the UN will begin two-day talks on the Black Sea grain deal in Istanbul later on Wednesday, according to Turkish authorities.

The extension of the initiative, as well as the development of a detailed and safe evacuation plan for the return of merchant ships and their crews stranded in Ukrainian ports due to conflict conditions, will be discussed during the talks, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

The deal is set to expire on May 18.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed the agreement in Istanbul last July to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were halted after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara