Putin Demands West's Compliance on Agricultural Exports Before Resuming Ukrainian Grain Deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated his stance on reinstating a United Nations-brokered deal to safely ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea only after the West meets Moscow's demands on its agricultural exports. The Russian president's remarks on Monday came after a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea city of Sochi in the hope of reviving the agreement seen as vital for global food supplies, especially in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Russia refused to extend the deal in July, complaining that a parallel agreement promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer had not been honored. It said restrictions on shipping and insurance hampered its agricultural trade, though it has shipped record amounts of wheat since last year.

Putin reiterated those complaints and said that the Black Sea corridors should not be used for military purposes. He told reporters that if those commitments were honored, Russia could return to the deal "within days." Erdogan also expressed hope that a breakthrough could come soon. He said Turkey and the UN - which both brokered the original deal - have put together a new package of proposals to unblock the issue. "We believe that the initiative should continue by fixing the shortcomings," said the Turkish president who has taken on the role of mediator between Ukraine and Russia. It was the first meeting between the two leaders since Erdogan's re-election for a third term as president in May.

The United States and the European Union have dismissed Moscow's complaints as without merit, saying their sanctions do not target Russian grain and fertilizers. A failure to revive the agreement will have "drastic impacts in several African countries that rely heavily on Ukrainian and Russian grain," experts say. In an effort to address that, Putin told reporters in Sochi that Moscow is weeks away from supplying free grain to six African countries. "We are close to completing agreements with six African states, where we intend to supply foodstuffs for free and even carry out delivery and logistics for free," he said.

"Deliveries will begin in the next couple of weeks." Hopes were high in Turkey that Erdogan would be able to convince Putin to return to the Black Sea grain deal. Officials say Ankara is trying to convince some Western countries to let Russia, in a limited way, back to the international payment system. Erdogan has maintained close ties with Putin during the war in Ukraine. Turkey has not joined Western sanctions against Russia following its invasion and has become a main trading partner and logistical hub for Russia's overseas trade. NATO member Turkey, however, has also supported Ukraine, sending arms and backing Kyiv's