Russia halts wartime Ukrainian grain export deal

Russia paused its participation Monday in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a deal brokered last year that allows wheat and other food products to be exported from Ukraine to countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, amid the ongoing war between the two nations. 

The deal is seen as essential in preventing a global food crisis and in staving off the threat of hunger in certain areas of the world, by keeping food prices from skyrocketing. Ukraine, a major supplier of grain and other food products, relies on the Black Sea to export its goods around the world.

The deal, brokered last year by the United Nations and Turkey, allowed ships to enter and leave Ukrainian ports without being attacked, and another agreement facilitated the shipment of food and fertilizer from Russia. The deal was set to expire Monday.

Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Monday that Russia would suspend its part in the deal until its demands are met to get its own food and fertilizer out to the world. 

“When the part of the Black Sea deal related to Russia is implemented, Russia will immediately return to the implementation of the deal,” Peskov said.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres reportedly sent a letter to Putin containing proposals trying to meet his demands for extending the deal. Over the weekend, U.N. and Turkish negotiators reportedly awaited Russia’s response ahead of Monday deadline for the deal to expire. 

Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said he intended to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday and said he was hopeful they could come to an agreement to extend the deal.

“Despite the statement today, I believe the president of the Russian Federation, my friend Putin, wants the continuation of this humanitarian bridge,” Erdoğan said.

Russia has long complained that the deal was one-sided in favor of Ukraine. However, Russia has shipped record amounts of wheat — despite complaining that restrictions on shipping and insurance have hampered its agricultural export — the Associated Press reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelensky’s adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Russia’s suspension of the deal was expected, saying, “The statement itself immediately includes an escape clause … Therefore, we are dealing with classic public techniques of the Russian Federation that no longer require significant reciprocal reactions.”

Russia’s announcement that it would suspend the deal is not the first setback the agreement has faced. In November, Russia briefly pulled out of the deal before rejoining and extending the deal. In March and May, Russia extended the deal only for 60 days, rather than the usual 120. The amount of grain Ukraine has been able to export from the Black Sea recently has dwindled as Ukraine has accused Russia of preventing new ships from joining the work since the end of June.

The Associated Press contributed.