Turkey's Defense Ministry on Grain Supply from Russia to Africa

The Turkish Defense Minister, Yasar Guler, announced that several administrative issues are being resolved for the supply of Russian grain to African countries. He did not clarify what these issues are related to, nor did he mention possible deadlines for the start of shipments, according to TASS.

“This aid is to be sent to eight African countries. There are currently some administrative problems being solved regarding this,” Guler said in an interview with Haberturk television.

On July 18, Russia withdrew from the grain deal, stating that its conditions were not met. The Russian side insisted on the reconnection of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT and the removal of restrictions on Russian agricultural products and fertilizers from entering the global market.

After a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on September 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Russian Federation is ready to return to the implementation of the deal after the lifting of restrictions on Russian agricultural exports. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has refused to make concessions to the Russian Federation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov with proposals to resume the deal. The latter criticized the UN initiative.