The Black Sea grain deal, intended to prevent mitigate a food crisis by safeguarding Ukrainian grain shipments, is set to expire on March 18. After talks with U.N. officials in Geneva, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said in a statement on Monday that Moscow does not object to another extension — “but only for 60 days,” half the length of the preceding renewal. A U.N. spokesman said in a tweet on Monday that the United Nations “will go on doing everything possible to preserve the integrity of the agreement and ensure its continuity.”