Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Monday that Russia was nearing a deal that would secure free grains for six African countries after the UN-brokered Black Sea grain deal collapsed in July.
After pulling out of the deal, which aimed to ensure safe grain exports via the Black Sea, Putin has been eager to allay African fears about the impact of the deal’s collapse on food security.
Speaking at a press conference with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin said “we are close to completing agreements with six African states.”
He stated that the country would supply the grains and carry out logistics free of charge, adding that deliveries “would begin in the next couple of weeks”.
Ukraine and Russia have both announced plans to ship grain outside of the grain pact, which the UN has claimed is critical to world food security.
Putin stated that his administration was ready to return to the deal “as soon” as restrictions on its own exports were lifted.
“We will be ready to consider the possibility of reviving the grain deal,” he said.
“And we will do it as soon as all the agreements on lifting restrictions on Russian agricultural exports are fully implemented,” he added.
Russia has already opposed the agreement, claiming that the West is imposing indirect limits on its grain and fertilizer exports by restricting access to global financial networks and insurance.
Turkey wants both sides to return to the deal and use it as the foundation for larger peace discussions.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape?")
