Erdogan decides to visit Moscow to talk with Putin about the grain deal
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to visit Russia for a meeting with his counterpart Vladimir Putin, reports Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak, citing sources within the Turkish leader's administration. The exact date of the visit is not specified, but the report notes that the main topic of discussion will be the grain agreement, from which Russia unilaterally withdrew in July.
Sources quoted by the newspaper said that "significant progress" has been made in negotiations to resume the deal, and Erdogan hopes to find a compromise. "He believes that some kind of consensus can be reached," said one of the sources, adding that the official Turkish position is that the agreement on Ukrainian grain is "unhealthy" without Russia.
Meanwhile, the chief adviser to the Turkish president, Akif Chagatay Kılıç, is reportedly travelling to Ukraine, although the date and purpose of the trip are not specified.
Earlier, Erdogan had announced that he expected the Russian president to visit Turkey in August.
It should be noted that reports about the format of a new grain agreement are contradictory. In mid-August, there were reports that the US was discussing a grain deal with Turkey and Ukraine without Russia. A few days ago, the German newspaper Bild stated that Russia, Turkey, and Qatar were preparing a new agreement that would involve the supply of Russian agricultural products to African countries. Concurrently, Ankara is urging Moscow to return to the grain deal.
The grain agreement, which involves the export of Ukrainian agricultural products from Black Sea ports, was signed by Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia under the auspices of the UN on July 22, 2022. The agreement has been extended several times despite Russian resistance. On July 17, Russia withdrew from the agreement, demanding the easing of Western sanctions as a condition for its extension.
Russian President Putin is subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, which accuses him of the illegal removal of Ukrainian children from territories not controlled by Kyiv.