Episode Notes:

During the past week, Russia announced that it would be withdrawing from a deal that, since last summer, has allowed the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. Then, following a day of furious diplomatic traffic, Moscow walked back the announcement, suggesting that the deal will survive. Here to help us make sense of the twists and turns of this story is Ayla Jean Yackley. Ayla is a freelance journalist based in Istanbul. She has covered Turkey for two decades for publications including the Financial Times, Politico, and The New Yorker.

[1:14] Background

[2:37] Why did Putin withdraw

[3:38] Why did Putin change his mind 

[5:29] What's next

[8:16] Turkey and NATO expansion