On Monday Russia pulled out of an agreement that had allowed Ukraine to export its grain by sea despite a wartime blockade, a deal seen as essential to keeping food flowing from Ukraine — a major breadbasket — to the wider world. Expert Max Bergmann joins Thanos Davelis to break down why Russia has decided to terminate this agreement, what’s at stake if the deal isn’t renewed, and whether Ukraine, Europe, and the US have a plan B ready. We also explore what efforts are in the works to deepen the West’s engagement with Ukraine - primarily on the NATO and EU level.

Max Bergman is the director of the Center in Euro-Atlantic and Northern European Studies and the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program, both at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a former senior advisor in the U.S. State Department.

Read Max Bergman’s latest here: The EU Isn’t Ready for Ukraine to Join

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:

Russia killed off the Black Sea grain deal. What happens now?

Russia pulls out of the Black Sea grain deal

Wildfires in Greece close highways and threaten an oil refinery, as the EU sends firefighting planes

Settlements evacuated as wildfires spread

President exudes ''cautious optimism'' for Cyprus problem resolution