The President- of Russia, Vladimir Putin has disclosed that Moscow is just weeks away from supplying free grain to no fewer than six African countries after scrapping a deal allowing Ukrainian food exports through the Black Sea.
Hours after Russian military bombarded one of Ukraine’s major grain export hubs overnight with a swarm of attack drones, he made these remarks during a press conference with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi.
Erdogan informed Putin that Turkey and the UN had drafted new suggestions to resolve Russia’s issues with the agreement, and he added that he wanted to arrive at a practical solution “soon”.
But Putin reiterated that Russia would only return to the landmark accord when its demands were met and instead gave details of the plan for shipments to Africa.
“We are close to completing agreements with six African states, where we intend to supply foodstuffs for free and even carry out delivery and logistics for free,” Putin said.
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“Deliveries will begin in the next couple of weeks.”
The UN and Turkey-brokered grain deal, which aimed to ensure safe navigation for civilian ships through the Black Sea, collapsed after Russia pulled out in July.
Tensions have built in the region since, with Russia mounting attacks on Ukrainian export hubs and Kyiv’s forces targeting Moscow’s naval ports and warships.
Senior Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed the gambit.
“Today we have received yet another confirmation that any ‘negotiations’ with Putin are sham and pointless,” Podolyak said on X, formerly Twitter.
“He clearly lives in his own reality, where ‘everyone is to blame but him’”.
In Sochi, Erdogan said there is no alternative to the original grain deal, and that Ankara was working with the United Nations on addressing complaints levied by Russia, which claims its fertiliser exports are being hampered by Western sanctions.
“We have prepared a new proposal package in consultation with the UN. I believe that it is possible to get results,” Erdogan said.
Since the deal collapsed, Moscow has repeatedly attacked Ukrainian ports in what Kyiv says is a cynical attempt to damage its exports and undermine global food security.
The Russian drone attack on Monday hit a grain export hub on the Danube river, Ukrainian officials said, damaging warehouses and agricultural equipment.
Ukraine’s military said Russia had used Iranian-made Shahed drones in the “massive” overnight attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile said he had visited his war-torn country’s frontline eastern Donetsk region, posting on Telegram a video of himself meeting soldiers.
Earlier, Russia said it had destroyed four US-made Ukrainian military boats carrying troops in the Black Sea en route to the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
And the governor of Russia’s western Bryansk region said border guards and security forces had “thwarted” an attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage group that tried to cross into Russia.
Russia has this year repeatedly reported Ukrainian sabotage attempts on its borders.