Putin Threatens Ukrainian Grain Exports And Warns Of Humanitarian Catastrophe

Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized grain exports from Ukraine under a UN-brokered deal, claiming that they are failing to reach poorer countries as intended, and he warned that the current food crisis could intensify into a "humanitarian catastrophe." The comments raise doubt about the fate of a six-week-old deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to ship millions of tons of grain from Ukraine's blockaded ports. Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in the eastern city of Vladivostok on September 7, Putin suggested that Moscow…