Putin’s Attack on Ukraine Grain Deal Belied by Shipping Data
- Putin and Erdogan claim developing nations not getting grain
- Deal helped lower prices, with shipments to Africa and Asia
Vladimir Putin
Photographer: Sergei Bobylyov/AFP/Getty Images
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Vladimir Putin’s barb that developing nations aren’t benefiting from the safe-corridor deal for Ukrainian grain isn’t backed up by the numbers.
The Russian president’s criticism -- later supported up by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- saw wheat prices surge Wednesday. Despite Putin’s description of the deal as “hype,” a significant chunk of the more than 2 million tons shipped under the deal has headed to developing countries.