Russia’s Putin meets for talks with Turkish leader Erdogan to revive Ukraine grain deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip are meeting on Monday to discuss the resumption of grain shipments from Ukraine through the Black Sea, an agreement Moscow broke in July.

Erdogan said the grain deal was the headline issue at the daylong talks between the two leaders in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the Russian president has a residence.

“Everyone is looking at the grain corridor issue,” Erdogan said in opening remarks.

Putin acknowledged that “issues related to the Ukraine crisis” would be discussed between them.

“I know that you intend to raise questions about the grain deal. We’re open to negotiations on that subject,” he told Erdogan. 

Russia broke off the deal, complaining that a parallel deal promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertiliser hadn’t been honoured. It said restrictions on shipping and insurance hampered its agricultural trade even though it has shipped record amounts of wheat since last year.

FILE – United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, shakes hands with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Istanbul August 2022

Russia hit port in Odesa region Sunday

The announcement comes a day after Kyiv said it endured a three-hour Russian drone barrage against port infrastructure in the Odesa region early Sunday Morning.

According to Ukrainian officials, the attack along the Reni seaport saw two people hospitalised.

Russian forces fired 25 Iranian-made Shahed drones along the Danube River in the early hours of Sunday, 22 of which were shot down by air defences, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Telegram.

Turkey’s role

The word from Ankara is that reviving the deal to ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea is “critical” for food security, foreign minister Hakan Fidan said Thursday.

Turkey has been an ongoing mediator between Ukraine and Russia from the early beginnings of the war and wants the grain deal to resume as part of broader peace talks.

Last Thursday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met Sergei Lavrov in Moscow ahead of Monday’s meeting between their two presidents.