MOSCOW: Talks between the leaders of Russia and Türkiye to revive Black Sea grain deal have failed to make any breakthrough.
Vladimir Putin talking to the media after meeting with Türkiye’s President Erdogan in Sochi, said a revival was only possible if Russia’s conditions were met.
Putin said Moscow is ready to consider the chances of reviving the grain deal, as soon as all the agreements on lifting sanctions on the export of Russian agricultural products are fully implemented.
He denied the claims that Russia had aggravated a food crisis in parts of Africa by suspending cooperation, saying grain prices did not rise on its exit from the agreement adding there is no shortage of food.
Russia withdrew from the grain deal in July, just a year after it had been brokered with the involvement of the United Nations and Turkey. Russia cited challenges facing its own food and fertilizer exports and voiced concerns that insufficient quantities of Ukrainian grain were reaching countries in need.
During their meeting, Putin and Erdogan discussed the ongoing Ukraine crisis, and Putin expressed Moscow’s willingness to engage in discussions regarding the grain deal.
Erdogan had previously played a significant role in convincing Putin to maintain the agreement. “We are cautious, but we hope to achieve success,” stated Akif Cagatay Kilic, Erdogan’s chief foreign policy and security adviser, during an interview on A Haber television channel.
In addition to the presidential meeting, Turkey’s top economic policymakers held meetings in Russia on Monday. Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek and Hafize Gaye Erkan, the central bank governor, were among the attendees.
Putin highlighted progress in the energy sphere between Russia and Turkey, and Erdogan emphasized the significance of discussions between the central banks of both countries.
The grain deal’s primary objective was to facilitate the export of Ukrainian grain to global markets through the Black Sea, mitigating a global food crisis exacerbated by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of the previous year.
Russia and Ukraine are major players in the global agricultural landscape, particularly in markets for wheat, barley, maize, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed, and sunflower oil.
Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Sochi
Turkey has been a close political and economic ally of Moscow as vast numbers of Western countries shun Russian trade following the invasion of Ukraine https://t.co/mQ6qjJY78g pic.twitter.com/XcjoGzamSp
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) September 4, 2023
Putin Says Ready to Revive Grain Deal
Putin has previously stated that Russia could consider rejoining the grain deal if the West fulfills a separate memorandum agreed upon with the United Nations. This memorandum aimed to facilitate Russian food and fertilizer exports.
While Western sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine do not directly target food and fertilizer exports, Moscow has cited impediments related to payments, logistics, and insurance that have hindered shipments.
Ahead of the talks between Erdogan and Putin, Ukrainian officials reported an overnight air attack by Russia on one of Ukraine’s major grain-exporting ports. Romania, however, denied a Ukrainian statement claiming that Russian drones had fallen and detonated on its territory.
Read Also: Putin Says Russia Ready to Resume Grain Deal Talks as Ukraine Port Faces Attack
UN Secretary-General António Guterres had recently conveyed “a set of concrete proposals” to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with the aim of reviving the grain deal.
One of Moscow’s main demands is for the Russian Agricultural Bank to be reconnected to the SWIFT international payments system, from which it was disconnected by the EU in June 2022 as part of sweeping sanctions in response to the invasion.
In response to Russia’s actions, Ukraine had declared a “humanitarian corridor” along the western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria. On Sunday, a third ship, the Liberia-flagged Anna-Theresa, left the Black Sea through the corridor.
Russia has also been in discussions regarding a Putin-initiated plan to supply up to 1 million tons of Russian grain to Turkey at reduced prices. The grain would be processed at Turkish plants and subsequently shipped to countries in need.
For Russia, Erdogan is a key intermediary, and he enjoys a high level of personal respect from Putin. This meeting marks their first in-person encounter since October.
