Black Sea grain deal revival possible if west respects terms: Putin
Western nations have reportedly violated agreements regarding the unblocking of Russian food and fertilizer exports
Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a phone call on 2 August that Moscow would only return to the Black Sea grain deal if western nations abided by the deal previously agreed upon.
During the call, Putin “outlined Russia's position of principle in connection with the termination of the ‘package’ agreements on the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports and the unblocking of supplies of Russian food and fertilizers,” a Kremlin readout of the call states.
“He noted that in the context of a complete lack of progress in the implementation of the Russian part of the ‘grain deal,’ further extension was meaningless. He reaffirmed readiness to return to the Istanbul agreements as soon as the West fulfilled all the obligations to Russia set out in them,” the readout adds.
In turn, Erdogan told Putin that the deal’s inactivation “will not benefit anyone," adding that its suspension has resulted in a 15 percent surge in grain prices, compared to the 23 percent decrease that was recorded while the deal was in force.
The two leaders also agreed during the call on Putin’s trip to Turkiye, the details of which have yet to be released, but are scheduled for this month.
Erdogan had expressed in July that during the upcoming visit, there is a chance the deal could be revived.
The Black Sea grain initiative was an agreement reached in July of last year between Russia, Turkiye, and the UN – which allowed for Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea to areas of the world struggling with food security.
The grain initiative was coupled with a separate agreement that was signed to allow Russia to export its own food and fertilizer products to world markets under the minimized impact of sanctions.
However, Russia claimed that demands regarding its exports were not being met. On 17 July, the Kremlin announced the halting of its participation in the agreement.
Moscow reportedly continued to renew the deal despite a western failure to unblock Russian food and fertilizer exports.
"Nothing – and I want to underscore it – nothing has been done. That was a one-sided game all along. Not a single goal linked to the interests of the Russian Federation was met," Putin said last month.
According to the Kremlin readout of Putin’s call with Erdogan, Russia will take “into account the demand of countries most in need of food” and will develop “reliable options for the supply of Russian grain, including on a free-of-charge basis.”