U.S. and Russia discussed resumption of Black Sea grain deal at Riyadh meeting, Lavrov says

U.S. and Russian delegations discussed the possible resumption of the Black Sea grain deal during their 12-hour meeting in Riyadh on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told state media.

For Russia to rejoin the deal, which it pulled out of in July 2023, it will require “clear guarantees,” Lavrov said.

“Given the unfortunate experience of agreements made solely with Kyiv, any guarantees must come exclusively as a direct order from Washington to [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky and his team, telling them to act in one way and not another. And I believe our American partners got that message,” Lavrov told Interfax.

According to Lavrov, Washington understands that “only the U.S. is capable of achieving meaningful results in stopping terrorist attacks and halting strikes on civilian and energy infrastructure unrelated to the defense industry.”

“Our position is simple: we cannot take this man at his word,” Lavrov said, referring to Zelensky.

He emphasized that Moscow supports resuming the Black Sea Initiative to ensure stability in grain and fertilizer markets but warned that no one should attempt to push Russia out of the sector.

The Black Sea grain deal, brokered by Turkey and the U.N., was agreed upon by Russia and Ukraine in July 2022. It established a safe corridor for Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea while lifting restrictions on Russian fertilizer exports. Russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023, citing violations of its terms.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the marathon U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh involved a “deep dive into details” and that their content would not be made public.