Australia calls on Russia to return to negotiating table on grain deal

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Australia joined several other nations Tuesday in urging Russia to return to the Black Sea grain deal.

“Russia’s decision to terminate the Black Sea Grain Initiative will hurt those most in need,” said Penny Wong, Australia’s foreign minister, on Twitter.

The grain deal was “critical to ensuring the predictable supply of food, including to our partners in the Indo-Pacific and Africa,” she said.

“We call on Russia to return to the negotiating table. Australia remains committed to working with partners to build their long-term food resilience,” she wrote.

The UN, US, the UK, France, NATO, and the EU criticized Moscow over exiting the grain deal, signed in July last year in Istanbul by Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine. It is aimed at resuming grain exports from Ukrainian ports which was halted as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022.

China also backed the continuation of the “balanced and fully implemented” grain deal.

The Kremlin announced Monday that it suspended the deal, saying the Russian part of the agreement was not implemented.

Under the grain deal, a Joint Coordination Center was set up in Istanbul last year with officials from the three countries and the UN to oversee the shipments.

The deal has been renewed several times since then, and it was extended for another two months on May 18.