“Russia has little interest in it” Subtitle: Expert doubts revival of Russian-Ukrainian grain agreement due to Russia’s lack of willingness

Security expert Claudia Major believes that the chances of reviving the Ukrainian grain agreement with Russia are low, as she sees “little willingness” on Russia’s side. Major, Head of the Research Group on Security Policy at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), made these remarks during a joint morning TV program by ARD and ZDF. She noted the recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian grain ports just before a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, suggesting that there seems to be little readiness on Russia’s part. Major stated that it is difficult to predict whether Erdogan will be able to persuade Russia to resume this agreement.

Major emphasized that despite regular channels of dialogue with Russia and ongoing efforts for negotiations, Russia has shown little interest in reviving the agreement, still “playing for victory.”

Today, Kremlin leader Putin is hosting Turkish President Erdogan in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi. Their talks are expected to focus primarily on reviving the grain agreement that allowed for the export of Ukrainian grain and other foodstuffs via the Black Sea. The agreement was mediated by Ankara and the United Nations but was terminated by Moscow in July.

New Russian drone attacks

A few hours before the planned meeting between the two heads of state, according to Ukrainian reports, Russia once again targeted port infrastructure in the Black Sea and the Danube. The military governor of the Odessa region, Oleh Kiper, wrote on Telegram that “Russian terrorists attacked the south of the Odessa region with drones for three and a half hours.” While 17 drones were shot down, there were several impacts as well. Storage facilities, production halls, industrial plants, and agricultural equipment in the Ismail county were damaged.

According to Russian military bloggers, port infrastructure in the Danube Delta was targeted again in the Odessa region. In the port city of Reni, an oil facility was reportedly damaged. These claims cannot currently be independently verified. After the expiration of the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, Russia has repeatedly targeted ports in Ukraine. There were also reports of attacks in the industrial region of Dnipropetrovsk in the morning. A hit on an infrastructure object caused a fire, according to military governor Serhij Lyssak on his Telegram channel.

No further details were provided regarding the extent of the damages. Although six drones were shot down, there are currently no reports of casualties or injuries in the Odessa or Dnipropetrovsk regions.