Putin again rejects grain deal proffered by Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Black Sea grain deal. Last year, Turkey and the United Nations brokered the deal to open ports and protect ships transporting Ukrainian and Russian agricultural products. Russia in July declined to extend the deal. Putin on Monday said he will not rejoin the agreement until Western nations end sanctions blocking Russian goods from international markets. Erdoğan said Turkey and the UN are working on a plan to ease Russian concerns.

What has happened since Russia stopped the agreement? Ukraine has tried to develop alternate trade routes, but the Kremlin this summer has increased air strikes on Ukrainian ports and grain supplies. Developing nations around the world rely on wheat, barley, sunflower oil, and other products from Ukraine and Russia. Putin on Monday said Moscow is close to finalizing an agreement with six African nations to provide the countries with free grain. 

Dig deeper: Read the report in WORLD Magazine written by WJI graduates about how the war in Ukraine has raised food and fuel prices in the United States.