Russia may revive Black Sea grain deal if Putin's demands are met

Russia was "open" to talks on resuming the Black Sea grain export deal, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, (September 4) just hours after Moscow launched strikes on one of Ukraine's key grain-exporting ports overnight. In televised comments alongside Erdogan, Putin said: "I know you intend to raise the issue of the grain deal. We are open to negotiations on this issue." 

In July, Russia decided to scrap the deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, which allowed Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea in the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, which started last year on February 24. 

Moscow said it was ready to revive the deal "as soon" as restrictions on its own exports were lifted. Putin wants the West to fulfil a separate memorandum agreed with the US at the same time to facilitate Russian food and fertiliser exports. While Russian exports of food and fertiliser are not subject to Western sanctions, Moscow claims that the restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have hindered shipments. 

"We will be ready to consider the possibility of reviving the grain deal... and we will do it as soon as all the agreements on lifting restrictions on Russian agricultural exports are fully implemented," Putin said at a press conference with Turkish counterpart. 

Putin also said that Russia is closing in on the deal to supply food for free to Africa, and the supplies will start in the next two to three weeks. 

On the other hand, Erdogan said after talks that Turkey was against alternative proposals to last year's grain agreement. At a joint media appearance with Putin in Sochi, he said: "The alternative proposals brought to the agenda could not offer a sustainable, secure and permanent model based on cooperation between the parties like the Black Sea Initiative." 

Earlier on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that he had sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "a set of concrete proposals" aimed at reviving the deal. Reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT global payments network is one of Moscow's top requests. 

Russia has also repeatedly pounded Ukrainian port infrastructure in what Kyiv says is an attempt to damage its exports and undermine global food security. 

On Monday, a Russian drone attack damaged a grain export hub on the Danube River. The officials said that warehouses and agricultural equipment were destroyed. 

A few hours after the attack, Putin met his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, amid hopes the two could restore the deal. Erdogan has promised that he would make a "significant" announcement on grain exports after the talks. 

A report by the Russian state news agency TASS mentioned that the talks between Putin and Erdogan involved defence and foreign ministers of both countries, as well as other government officials. The talks focused on the topic of the resumption of the grain deal along with issues on the bilateral agenda. 

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