The Black Sea Grain Initiative is a UN-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to ship grain through a Russian blockade from July 2022. About 32.9-million tonnes of grain and oilseeds was shipped to 45 countries, including 10 in Africa. Russia pulled out of the deal on 17 July and bombed Ukraine’s ports, destroying 60,000 tonnes of grain. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on 27 July that he would send free grain to Zimbabwe, Mali, Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Eritrea and Somalia. African leaders, including South African president Cyril Ramaphosa, responded that they would rather the grain deal be reinstated.