Kremlin, asked about possible resumption of Black Sea grain deal, says it does not rule anything out

Kremlin, asked about possible resumption of Black Sea grain deal, says it does not rule anything out

Russia does not rule out any scenarios regarding the possible resumption of the now-defunct Black Sea grain deal, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

On Thursday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, speaking after a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said they had discussed navigational security in the Black Sea, including the grain deal.

Russia allowed the Turkish- and United Nations-brokered deal, which for a year facilitated Russian and Ukrainian agricultural exports via the Black Sea, to expire in July 2023.

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At the time, it said that it would only renew the deal if obstacles to its own agricultural goods reaching world markets were lifted.

Asked about a possible renewal of the deal on Friday in light of Erdogan's comments, Peskov said:

"The Kremlin does not rule out any agreements. The Kremlin has said, President (Vladimir) Putin has repeatedly said, that he is open to dialogue."

Peskov said any agreement on grain would have to be reached as part of a package of issues "within the general context of the current situation".