Up until this summer, the Ukraine grain deal was working — for everyone, at least, except Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow suspended the agreement in July, citing the ongoing challenges exporting commodities. Since then, the Russian military has attacked Ukrainian grain export infrastructure.
Both the United States and Turkey now have an interest in getting Ukrainian grain flowing the world again, but they disagree on whether Russia should be rewarded in the process. Among other things, Putin is demanding the return of Russian banks to the SWIFT international payment system. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who just met with himThe post Side-Stepping Turkey: Using Minesweepers to Increase Allied Presence in the Black Sea appeared first on War on the Rocks.