Putin has dashed global hopes for reviving the Ukraine grain deal. This is why it matters

By ANDREW WILKS and ELISE MORTON
Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met with Vladimir Putin, hoping to persuade the Russian leader to rejoin a deal allowing Ukraine to safely export grain. Moscow withdrew from the agreement in July. But Putin made it clear that the initiative would not be restored right now. The deal was brokered by the United Nations and Ankara in July 2022. It had allowed nearly 33 million metric tons of grain and other commodities to leave three Ukrainian ports safely despite the war. Russia pulled out after claiming a parallel deal promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertilizer hadn’t been honored.