The Implications of Russia’s Exit From the Black Sea Grain Deal

Russia's decision to leave the Black Sea grain deal nearly a year after it was signed will strain its relations with Turkey, further imperil Ukraine's war-torn economy and elevate global food prices, with poorer countries in the Global South being hit hardest. On July 17, Russia's foreign ministry announced the country would leave the agreement that has helped bring Ukrainian grain to the world's markets over the past year. As part of its withdrawal from the deal, Russia said it would no longer guarantee the safety of ships transiting the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea. It also said that the Joint Coordination Center, which had monitored the deal's implementation from Istanbul, would be disbanded. Russia claimed it decided to leave because its demands for extending the deal had not been met. But the announcement also came hours after an apparent Ukrainian maritime drone strike damaged the Kerch Strait...