Putin And Erdogan To Hold Talks In Effort To Revive Ukraine Grain Export Deal Amid Global Food Crisis

Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan next week as part of ongoing efforts by Ankara and the United Nations (UN) to resurrect a Ukraine grain export agreement that had previously helped mitigate a worldwide food crisis.

The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed on Friday that the meeting between Putin and Erdogan would take place on Monday in Sochi, a Russian Black Sea resort.

This announcement brings an end to weeks of speculation surrounding the meeting’s date and location. International parties have been working to mend the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which facilitated the export of grain and other essential food items to regions in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia grappling with escalating hunger.

The initiative collapsed when Russia unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in July.

Both Ukraine and Russia are substantial global suppliers of agricultural commodities such as wheat, barley, sunflower oil, and others, which are essential for developing nations.

The deal, brokered by Turkey in collaboration with the UN in July 2022, permitted Ukraine to recommence the shipment of foodstuffs from three of its Black Sea ports during the conflict with Russia.

The initiative oversaw ship and cargo inspections from Turkey, with vessels departing from and returning to Ukraine through Turkish ports. Nearly 33,000 tonnes of grain were shipped from Ukraine during the agreement’s duration.

Peskov confirmed the forthcoming talks between Erdogan and Putin but provided no further details. Erdogan had previously played a significant role in persuading Putin to maintain the deal.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held discussions with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu in Moscow on Friday ahead of the Erdogan-Putin meeting.

Shoigu reiterated Russia’s position, asserting that the failure of the grain deal was not Moscow’s fault. He emphasized that Russia would be open to revisiting the agreement if all promises made to Russia were honored.

The Black Sea grain agreement aimed to address a global food crisis exacerbated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which Moscow refers to as a “special military operation.”

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov a set of concrete proposals aimed at reviving the agreement.

US wheat prices rose after Lavrov stated that Russia saw no indications that it would receive the necessary guarantees to revive the grain deal. Lavrov also criticized the West for sensationalizing the global food crisis while prices remained close to 2021 levels.

He cited Putin’s pledge to supply several countries with up to 50,000 tonnes of grain each, free of charge.

To gain Moscow’s approval for the original deal, a separate three-year accord was reached, in which UN officials committed to assisting Russia with its food and fertilizer exports.

However, Moscow alleged that the West had betrayed this memorandum.

Lavrov disclosed that discussions were underway regarding Putin’s proposal to supply Turkey with up to 1 million tonnes of Russian grain at reduced prices for further processing in Turkish facilities before being shipped to countries in dire need. Similar negotiations are taking place with Qatar.

While Western sanctions do not apply to Russian food and fertilizer exports following the invasion, Moscow has cited restrictions related to payments, logistics, and insurance that have impeded its shipments.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister announced that two cargo vessels had departed from a port near Odesa, taking a new route along the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria. They are the third and fourth vessels to transit from deep-water Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea since Russia withdrew from the safe passage agreement.