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Russia Says It Will Only Renew Grain Deal If Its Own Exports Are Unblocked

Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 11, 2022. (Reuters)
Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 11, 2022. (Reuters)
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Russia Says It Will Only Renew Grain Deal If Its Own Exports Are Unblocked

Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 11, 2022. (Reuters)
Vessels are seen as they await inspection under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 11, 2022. (Reuters)

Russia said on Wednesday it would only agree to extend the Black Sea grain deal, which allows grain to be safely exported from Ukrainian ports, if the interests of its own agricultural producers are taken into account.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye last year, expires on March 18 and cannot be extended unless all parties agree. Russia has already signaled it is unhappy with aspects of the deal.

Russia's agricultural exports have not been explicitly targeted by Western sanctions, but Moscow says restrictions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries are a "barrier" to it being able to export its own grains and fertilizers.

Moscow's foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had discussed the prospects for renewing the deal at a meeting with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of the G20 in New Delhi.

"(The) Russian side stressed that continuing the package agreement on grain is possible only if the interests of Russian agricultural and fertilizer producers in terms of unhindered access to world markets are taken into account," the ministry said in a statement.

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Ukraine Says It Shot Down Russian Fighter Jet from Sea Drone for First Time

A serviceman of the 43rd Hetman Taras Triasylo Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stands near an Archer self-propelled howitzer as it is fired towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a position in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A serviceman of the 43rd Hetman Taras Triasylo Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stands near an Archer self-propelled howitzer as it is fired towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a position in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Says It Shot Down Russian Fighter Jet from Sea Drone for First Time

A serviceman of the 43rd Hetman Taras Triasylo Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stands near an Archer self-propelled howitzer as it is fired towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a position in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine April 24, 2025. (Reuters)
A serviceman of the 43rd Hetman Taras Triasylo Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stands near an Archer self-propelled howitzer as it is fired towards Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a position in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine April 24, 2025. (Reuters)

Ukraine destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet using a missile fired from a seaborne drone, Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency announced on Saturday, in what it said was the world's first downing of a combat plane by a maritime drone.

Its statement on social media said the fighter had been shot down by a military intelligence unit called Group 13 on Friday over waters near Novorossiisk, a major Russian port city on the Black Sea.

Outmanned and outgunned by its larger, wealthier Russian adversary, Ukraine has turned to drone warfare in the air and at sea as a way to fight back throughout more than three years of full-scale war.

Ukraine's seaborne drones, which are much cheaper and smaller than conventional ships, have wrought havoc on Russia's Black Sea fleet.

Ukraine has previously said it shot down a Russian military helicopter in December 2024 using a missile fired from the same type of seaborne drone.

The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment on the Ukrainian claim, but an authoritative Russian blogger believed to be close to the ministry said the jet had been shot down.

"Yesterday towards evening, a Su-30 naval aviation fighter jet was shot down by the Ukrainian side 50 kilometers west of Novorossiisk. This was done from an uncrewed boat with an R-73 SAM (surface-to-air missile)," the blogger, who goes by the name Rybar, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

"The pilots ejected and were picked up by civilian sailors. Both are alive, and to hell with the plane."

The mayor of Novorossiisk declared a state of emergency on Saturday after local authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack had damaged a grain terminal and several residential buildings, injuring five people.