Russia Nixes Turkey-Backed Grain Export Initiative

Russia said it will no longer participate in the deal brokered with Turkey in July to allow grain exports from Ukraine. Russia suspended the agreement over the weekend after drone attacks on Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Crimea. A Turkish security source told the AFP news agency that Ankara had not been “officially notified” of Russia’s decision to suspend the agreement, which has seen some nine million tons of Ukrainian grain exported and helped to ease the global food crisis brought about by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. The agreement was due to be renewed on November 19.

In addition to Turkey, the Black Sea Grain Initiative was brokered by the United Nations. The United Nations said on Saturday that it was in touch with Russian authorities in an effort to salvage the initiative.

Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev said that Russia was ready to supply up to 500,000 tons of grain to poor countries in the next four months for free, with assistance from Turkey, Reuters reported.