The U.S. praised Türkiye's leading role in efforts to ensure global food supplies, after Russia announced that it has withdrawn from the Ukraine grain deal on Monday.
In response to a question on whether there is a link between the sale of F-16 jets to Türkiye and the grain deal, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller responded: "There is no link and I will say that Turkey has been at the forefront of encouraging Russia to first enter into and extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative."
Türkiye has been a "leader in this effort of trying to secure food supplies for the entire world," he said.
"We have commended them for their efforts and it is Russia that is holding up this initiative, not Turkey or any other country," he added.
Earlier on Monday, the Kremlin announced it suspended the deal, saying that the Russian part of the agreement was not implemented.
The agreement, initially signed in July of last year in Istanbul by Türkiye, the U.N., Russia, and Ukraine, was aimed at resuming grain exports from Ukrainian ports. These exports had been halted as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war which began in February 2022.
A Joint Coordination Center was set up in Istanbul last year with officials from the three countries and the U.N. to oversee the shipments.
The deal has been renewed several times since then, and it was extended for another two months on May 18.
