Russia rejoins deal on wartime grain exports

KYIV (AP):

Diplomatic efforts salvaged a wartime agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain and other commodities to reach world markets, with Russia saying on Wednesday it would stick to the deal after Ukraine pledged not to use a designated Black Sea corridor to attack Russian forces.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow reserves the right to withdraw again from the agreement if Kyiv breaks its word.

“We demanded assurances and guarantees from the Ukrainian side that ... humanitarian corridors will not be used for military purposes,” Putin told a Security Council meeting, according to Russian state news agencies. “I have given instructions to the Ministry of Defense to resume our full participation in this work.”

The Russian leader praised Turkey’s mediation efforts to get the deal back on track, as well as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “neutrality in the conflict as a whole” and his efforts at “ensuring the interest of the poorest countries”.

Russia suspended its participation in the grain deal over the weekend, citing allegations of a Ukrainian drone attack against its Black Sea fleet in Crimea. Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the alleged attack.

Erdogan said the renewed deal would again come on stream on Wednesday, prioritising shipments to African nations, including Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan. That’s in line with Russia’s concerns that most of the exported grain had ended up in richer nations since Moscow and Kyiv made separate agreements with Turkey and the UN in July.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said on Monday that 23 per cent of the total cargo exported from Ukraine under the grain deal went to lower- or lower-middle-income countries, which also received 49 per cent of all wheat shipments.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed Russia’s announcement putting the deal back on track. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres “remains committed to removing the remaining obstacles to the exports of Russian food and fertiliser”.

Ukraine and Russia are key global exporters of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food to developing countries, where many are already struggling with hunger. A loss of those supplies before the grain deal pushed up global food prices and helped throw tens of millions into poverty, along with soaring energy costs.