No key message: Erdoğan grain deal talks with Putin yield no breakthrough
Photo: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (RBC-Ukraine collage)
President of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, announced that he discussed the "grain corridor" with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a press conference following their meeting.
Erdoğan stated that the "grain corridor" played a crucial role in preventing a food crisis. Additionally, the Turkish leader expressed Ankara's readiness to mediate in its restoration with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian leader Putin claimed that Ukraine supposedly "threw away" the peaceful agreements reached through Türkiye's mediation. Earlier, Erdoğan had announced a "very important" message on the grain deal to be made after his meeting with Putin.
"We know that agreements were reached through the mediation of the President of Türkiye, documents were drafted and agreed upon by the Russian and Ukrainian delegations, but then Ukraine threw them away. No one is reviewing this. We hear about some new initiatives, but it's not what was ever discussed with us. So, we don't perceive anything new," Putin said.
He stated that Russia was not rejecting the mediation of China, Türkiye, and African countries.
Erdoğan-Putin meeting in Sochi
On Monday, September 4th, a meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin took place in Sochi. They discussed, among other things, the restoration of the grain deal.
Russia's exit from the grain deal
In July, Russia announced its withdrawal from the grain deal due to alleged non-compliance with its terms. Afterward, occupiers began shelling Ukrainian ports and grain infrastructure in southern Ukraine.
In August, Ukraine announced the opening of temporary corridors in the Black Sea for trade vessels. The Ukrainian Navy emphasized that there was still a threat from Russia. These routes were primarily intended for the departure of civilian vessels located in Ukrainian ports such as Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
On August 16th, the first ship departed from the port of Odesa after the suspension of the grain deal, and on August 26th, another one.
