According to the European Commission, Ukraine accounted for 10% of the world wheat market, 13% of the barley market, and 15% of the corn market before Russia launched its all‑out war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. On July 22, 2022, in Istanbul, Ukraine and Russia each agreed to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, brokered by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Ukraine abandoned the agreements reached after the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kiev area and Moscow does not understand why Western countries are dragging Ukraine into NATO, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
Swedish Prime Minister expresses extreme worry over potential consequences of further demonstrations involving the desecration of the Koran amid growing Muslim anger.
U.S. President Joe Biden held talks with Nordic leaders at Finland's presidential palace on Thursday, visiting NATO's newest member directly after knocking Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit a day earlier. Biden travelled to Finland, which shares a border with Russia, straight from this week's NATO talks in Vilnius, Lithuania to participate in a U.S.-Nordic summit with the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Norway.