By John Ikani
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that Moscow is on the verge of providing free grain to six African nations after cancelling a deal permitting Ukrainian food exports via the Black Sea.
Putin made the announcement during a joint press conference with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi.
It comes in the wake of Russian forces launching an attack on one of Ukraine’s critical grain-exporting centres overnight, utilizing a swarm of attack drones.
Erdogan told Putin at the Sochi meeting that Turkey and the United Nations have crafted new proposals to address Russia’s concerns about the cancelled Black Sea grain export deal, expressing hope for a swift resolution.
Nevertheless, Putin reasserted that Russia would only reconsider the landmark accord when its stipulations were met and instead unveiled a new blueprint for delivering food aid to Africa.
“We are on the verge of finalizing agreements with six African nations, where we plan to supply food items free of charge, including delivery and logistics,” Putin declared. “These shipments are set to commence within the next few weeks.”
The UN and Turkey-mediated grain agreement, which aimed to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea for civilian vessels, disintegrated when Russia withdrew in July.
Since then, tensions have escalated in the region, with Russia targeting Ukrainian export hubs and Kyiv’s forces retaliating by targeting Moscow’s naval ports and warships.
Senior Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak dismissed Putin’s move as a mere charade. “Today, we have received yet another confirmation that any ‘negotiations’ with Putin are insincere and futile,” Podolyak stated.
In Sochi, Erdogan emphasized that there is no viable alternative to the original grain agreement and disclosed ongoing efforts with the United Nations to address Russia’s grievances, which revolve around alleged hindrances to its fertilizer exports due to Western sanctions.
“We have collaborated with the UN to prepare a new proposal package. I am optimistic that we can achieve results,” Erdogan affirmed.
Since the collapse of the agreement, Moscow has repeatedly targeted Ukrainian ports in what Kyiv alleges is a calculated attempt to undermine its exports and global food security.
On Monday, Russian drones conducted an attack on a grain export hub along the Danube River, causing damage to warehouses and agricultural equipment, according to Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine’s military reported that Russia employed Iranian-made Shahed drones in the extensive overnight assault.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed that he had visited the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, where he met with soldiers, sharing a video of the encounter on Telegram.
In addition, Russia reported the destruction of four US-made Ukrainian military vessels transporting troops in the Black Sea en route to Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
Meanwhile, the governor of Russia’s Bryansk region announced that border guards and security forces had thwarted an attempt by a Ukrainian sabotage group to infiltrate Russian territory.
This year, Russia has frequently reported Ukrainian sabotage attempts along its borders.
In the same region on Sunday, Ukraine successfully repelled a series of Russian drone attacks, with Moscow’s military asserting that the assaults targeted fuel storage facilities in the nearby port of Reni.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov also announced his resignation from parliament following President Zelensky’s call for “fresh approaches” in response to Russia’s offensive.
The decision comes amid several corruption scandals within the defence ministry and a closely watched Ukrainian counter-offensive in the southern and eastern regions.
Ukrainian officials noted some progress, but Putin contended in Sochi that the attempt to reclaim land lost to Moscow had been unsuccessful, asserting, “It is not just stalling; it is a failure.”
Ukraine’s Deputy Defence Minister Ganna Malyar earlier indicated that Russian forces were “on the defensive in the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson sectors,” referring to two southern regions that Moscow claimed to have annexed last year.
She also mentioned that Ukrainian forces had regained control of three square kilometers (approximately one square mile) near the eastern town of Bakhmut, which had been captured by Russia in May.
In a separate development on Monday, Kyiv officials reported that they had thoroughly inspected all secondary schools in the city, refuting previous reports of bomb threats.
Police also received “information” about explosive devices allegedly placed in “all the shopping and leisure centres” in the city, though no further details were provided.
