Senior Russian Official Negotiates Black Sea Grain Deal That Will Exclude Ukraine

Viktor Orban (right) welcomes Rustam Minnikhanov in Budapest Photo: Benko Vivien Cher/Hungarian Prime Minister/Shutterstock

The highest ranking Russian official visit to the European Union after the start of the war, negotiating in Hungary a potential new Black Sea grain deal excluding Ukraine.

Rustam Minnikhanov, head of the Russian region of Tatarstan, supports Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is under US sanctions, but not the EU.

“Arrived today at the invitation of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Budapest!” Minnikhanov wrote. «We spoke with Mr. Prime Minister about the contribution of Tatarstan to the strengthening of Russian-Hungarian relations.»

Mr. Minnihanor is reportedly pushing for an agreement with Qatar and Turkey that would speed up grain exports to Africa.

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A UN-agreed deal allowing grain exports from Ukraine fell through in July. Vladimir Putin said that Russia could cover the shortfall in exports to Africa, and as part of a potential deal in Budapest, it would use Turkey as the main operator of cargo ships and Qatar as a financial guarantor.

Ukrainian officials have said any grain deal that excludes Kiev would encourage Russia to steal more grain from Ukraine it occupies.

0308 Russia's recent attacks on grain infrastructure

Mr Orban has spoken out against EU sanctions against Russia and is under consideration as a weak link in the West that the Kremlin can take advantage of. He is the only EU leader to visit Moscow during the war for the funeral of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Hungary continues to buy Russian gas and its companies say they want to develop business in Russia. He has Turkic roots and seeks to develop relations with Turkic countries and regions such as Tatarstan.

Mr. Orban is also hosting Turkic leaders over the weekend as the country hosts the World Championships in Athletics.

German newspaper Bild reported that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of Turkey, and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the leader of Qatar, was also scheduled to arrive in Budapest on Sunday and could sign a new grain agreement with Mr. Minnikhanov, who is effectively acting as Putin's envoy.

Like other regional governors, Mr. Minnikhanov owes his position to Putin's patronage. At a meeting in January, he told the Russian president that he had raised two battalions of soldiers to support the invasion of Ukraine and refocused the region's economy on supporting the defense sector.

Tatarstan, located in central Russia, is also the site of a large new factory that will produce drones under license from Iran to attack Ukraine.