Russia might be interested in returning to talks on Black Sea grain deal: US envoy

UNITED NATIONS - There are signs that Russia might be interested in returning to talks on the Black Sea grain deal, a US envoy said on Tuesday.

"We have seen indications that they might be interested in returning to discussions. So we will wait to see whether that actually happens," Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, said at a press briefing on the U.S. presidency of the UN Security Council for August.

Russia and Ukraine signed separately with Turkiye and the United Nations the Black Sea Grain Initiative in Istanbul in July 2022, which allowed Ukraine to export grain and other agricultural products from its Black Sea ports.

Moscow suspended its participation in the agreement on July 17, 2023, saying that it would return to the deal as soon as the Russian part of the agreements is fulfilled.

Thomas-Greenfield said the United States has been told that Russia is prepared to return to discussions, adding that "we haven't seen any evidence of that yet."

She noted that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is continuing his efforts to find a path forward to bring Russia back into the deal.