Russia says it will have talks with Turkiye about alternative to Black Sea deal

August 31st, 2023

Awake Goy

Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, will discuss a proposal by Moscow for an alternative to the Black Sea grain deal when they meet this week, Lavrov’s Ministry said on Wednesday, Reuters reports. Under the plan, Russia would send a million tons of grain to Turkiye at a discounted price, with financial support from Qatar, to be processed in Turkiye and sent to countries most in need, the Foreign Ministry said. “We consider this project as the optimal working alternative to the Black Sea deal,” it said. Russia pulled out last month from the year-old deal, brokered by Turkiye and the United Nations, which had enabled Ukraine to export grain from its Black Sea ports despite the war. […] Source