Russia rejoins key deal on wartime Ukrainian grain exports

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Diplomatic efforts salvaged a wartime agreement that allowed Ukrainian grain and other commodities to reach world markets, with Russia saying 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," Putin said.

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 attack, which some Ukrainian officials blamed on Russian soldiers mishandling their own weapons.

Erdogan said the renewed deal would again come on stream Wednesday, prioritizing 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 U.N. in July.

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

But Putin repeated earlier claims that 46% of the grain exported from the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi was bound for European Union countries instead of needier nations.

The U.N. and Turkey brokered separate deals with Russia and Ukraine in July to ensure Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia would receive grain and other food from the Black Sea region during Russia's now eight-month-old war in Ukraine.

Submitted Photo The Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship Fund recently held its scholarship awards ceremony in the community room at Woodruff Electric in Forrest City. Charity Campbell and Charlene Adams were each awarded a scholarship for the fall 2022 semester. Pictured during the scholarship presentation, from left, are: Volunteer Joanne Smith, ASPSF program manager Marci Langston, Charity Campbell, Charlene Adams and members of Campbell's family.