Russia Extends Grain Deal With Ukraine

Welcome to today’s Morning Brief, where we’re looking at Ukraine and Russia extending the grain deal while Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Mariupol, Ukraine, for the first time since announcing its annexation; former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s court appearance; and Italy stopping the registration of same-sex parents in Milan.

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Russia and Ukraine have extended a deal that allows Ukraine to export grain through the Black Sea, though it is unclear how long the deal will hold for. Ukraine wanted the deal extended for 120 days, whereas Russia wanted a 60-day extension. And Moscow has warned that the deal will not hold for longer if sanctions against Russia are not lifted.

The United Nations and Turkey first helped broker the deal last summer. Ukraine is one of the world’s top grain producers.

“This deal is of vital importance for the global food supply. I thank Russia and Ukraine, who didn’t spare their efforts for a new extension, as well as the United Nations secretary-general,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, hours before the deal was set to expire.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin made an unannounced visit to Mariupol, roughly 10 months after it was forcibly taken over by Russia. This was the first time Putin had visited the Donbas region since announcing last September that he was annexing it.

The visit came just days after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest for war crimes, specifically for personal responsibility in the abduction of Ukrainian children—many of them from the Mariupol area. Russia, like the United States, is not a party to the International Criminal Court.

Mariupol is also where a theater used by residents as a shelter was bombed by Russia in March 2022. Amnesty International has deemed the bombing of the theater to be a war crime.

Mariupol’s exiled mayor, Vadym Boychenko, likened Putin to a criminal returning to a crime scene.

“He has come in person to see what he has done,” Boychenko told the BBC. “He’s come to see what he will be punished for.”

Kremlin officials said the decision to go to Mariupol was made spontaneously by Putin.

Monday, March 20: Chinese President Xi Jinping pays a state visit to Putin in Moscow while Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida makes an official visit to India and meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tuesday, March 21: European Neighborhood and Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi hosts Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili.

Wednesday, March 22: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Thursday, March 23: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the United Kingdom.

Friday, March 24: The Cumbre Iberoamericana summit between the leaders of many Latin American nations, Spain, and Portugal is held in the Dominican Republic.

Imran Khan in court. This weekend, former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan appeared in court in Islamabad, the country’s capital. The warrant for his arrest was reportedly canceled. Meanwhile, police stormed Khan’s residence in Lahore and arrested 61 people while using tear gas.

Khan, who had failed to appear at an earlier hearing, was not present, as he had traveled to Islamabad. He is charged with having sold state gifts while in office and hiding his assets. In a video message recorded on the journey from Lahore to Islamabad, Khan demanded that those responsible for breaking into his residence be punished.

Italy stops registration of children by same-sex parents. In 2018, the mayor of Milan allowed parents in same-sex relationships to officially acknowledge their children as their own. This week, Italy’s current government ordered the city to stop registering these children. Hundreds of people in Milan attended a protest against the government on Saturday.

Attendees included Elly Schlein, newly elected leader of the center-left Democratic Party. Her message, she said, was that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni should not “discriminate against the daughters and sons of these wonderful families.”

Mass protests for 11th week in Israel. Israelis protested for the 11th consecutive week against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned overhaul of the judiciary, which critics say would strip all liberalism from Israel’s democracy. In Pardes Hanna-Karkur, a town in northern Israel, police used a water cannon on protesters. The Associated Press reported that it had obtained a video of protesters chanting “democracy” as they did so.

• Putin’s War on Young People by Lucian Kim

• Russian Mercenaries Are Pushing France Out of Central Africa by Justin Ling

• The Lessons Not Learned From Iraq by Michael Hirsh

Snail seizure. A man who traveled from Ghana to Michigan brought six giant African land snails with him in his luggage. They were discovered and seized on March 9 at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

The snails, which can grow as long as 8 inches (20 centimeters) can carry parasites impacting humans and causing diseases, including meningitis.