Turkey's Erdogan says grain deal without Russia would not be "sustainable"

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During the 2023 G20 New Delhi summit — and two months after Russia exited the Black Sea grain initiative — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said a new international grain deal that did not include Russia would not be “sustainable.”

“There is a very low probability that a process that excludes Russia from the grain issue is sustainable,” Erdogan said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin quit the deal in July, only a year after the deal was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey. At the time, Putin, 70, said Russia’s food and fertilizer exports faced obstacles and that not enough Ukrainian exports were going to developing countries in need.

The Black Sea grain initiative allowed Ukraine, too, to safely export life-saving grain supplies through the Black Sea passage amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Last week, Putin claimed Russia would re-enter the initiative as long as all agreements relevant to the accord are fulfilled.

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