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The Right Coast
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Black Sea Grain Talks Gain Steam as Russia, Turkey Eye Cooperation – WSJ

By Thomas A. Smith

An effort to ship grain stranded by the Russia-Ukraine war showed progress Wednesday, as a top Russian official blessed Turkey s role in removing mines from the Black Sea and a top U.S. official said Washington was working to keep sanctions from blocking Russia s exports.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has been leading discussions to find a way to ship grain and sunflower oil that has been blockaded in Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and to get Russian grain and fertilizer to world markets.

Few see any easy solution given the war between Russia and Ukraine, but U.N. officials are seeking a pathway to help slow rising global food prices and head off a possible humanitarian crisis because of food shortage.

via www.wsj.com

My guess is Lavrov is just stalling, pretending to negotiate in good faith as we move ever closer to a famine. But maybe not. A few more sunken Russian warships might focus his mind.