In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his country's intention to deliver grain to six African countries on the list of the World Food Programme as part of humanitarian aid. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara had supported the initiative and would, together with Qatar, facilitate the processing and delivery of Russian grain to the countries in need. The first two ships with wheat for Somalia and Burkina Faso left Russia earlier in November.
"The project is under the personal control of Mr. President [Erdogan], there is coordination between the relevant structures. We expect that by the end of the year, we will resolve the issues related to the processing and supply [of Russian grain]," the source said.
On July 18, the Turkey- and UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative, which provided for a humanitarian corridor to allow exports of Ukrainian grain over the past year, expired, as Russia did not renew its participation in the deal. Moscow emphasized that the deal's component on facilitating Russian grain and fertilizer exports had not been fulfilled and that most of the supplies were ending up in rich European states instead of poor countries in Africa.
After the deal expired, Putin gave assurances that Moscow would continue to supply grain and fertilizers to African countries despite sanctions.