Yesterday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea port city of Sochi. The subject was the Ukrainian grain deal that Putin allowed to expire this summer. Erdogan was the one who brokered the original deal last year, so it seemed like a natural choice for him to try to restart the process. But “try” would be the operative word here. Both sides put out statements containing some positive language about “progress” being made and a willingness on both sides to try to work something out. But in the end, Putin refused to enter into any new agreement. He repeated his claims from earlier this summer, saying accommodations need to be made to ensure the safe shipment of Russian grain before he would agree to safe passage for Ukrainian cargo ships. So the situation remains in limbo for the time being. (Associated Press)Read More
Putin’s grain demands have already been met
