One sentence summary – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Sochi to discuss the Ukrainian grain export situation, with Erdogan expressing optimism that the deal could be revived soon, while Putin stated that Russia is ready to return to the agreement once restrictions on its own exports are lifted and dismissed Western claims that Russia’s exit from the deal caused a global food crisis, emphasizing that there is no physical shortage of food.
At a glance
- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Ukrainian grain export situation.
- Russia withdrew from a UN- and Turkey-brokered agreement that allowed Ukraine to export grain from three Black Sea ports during the ongoing conflict.
- Erdogan expressed optimism about reviving the deal, while Putin stated that Russia is ready to return to the agreement once its own export restrictions are lifted.
- Russia is close to finalizing a separate agreement with six African countries to supply up to 50,000 tonnes of grain to address concerns about food security.
- The meeting between Putin and Erdogan is crucial for reaching an agreement on the grain deal, which has significant implications for world food supplies.
The details
In Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held discussions regarding the Ukrainian grain export situation.
This meeting took place almost two months after Russia withdrew from a UN- and Turkey-brokered agreement that allowed Ukraine to export grain from three Black Sea ports during the ongoing conflict.
Erdogan expressed optimism, believing that the deal could be revived soon.
Putin stated that Russia is ready to return to the agreement once restrictions on its own exports are lifted.
He dismissed Western claims that Russia’s exit from the deal caused a global food crisis, emphasizing that there is no physical shortage of food.
To address African concerns about the deal’s collapse on food security, Russia is close to finalizing a separate agreement with six African countries to supply up to 50,000 tonnes of grain.
The meeting between Putin and Erdogan is seen as crucial for reaching an agreement on the grain deal, which has significant implications for world food supplies.
Analysts anticipated tough negotiations in Sochi, with Putin likely fighting for concessions on his wish list.
The abandoned agreement aimed to alleviate a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain to leave ports during the ongoing conflict.
Russia and Ukraine are major players in the agricultural markets for various commodities, including wheat, barley, corn, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed, and sunflower oil.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent concrete proposals to Russia to revive the deal, but Russian demands outlined in the agreement have yet to be implemented.
Since withdrawing from the grain deal, Russia has targeted Ukrainian ports with missile and drone strikes, even threatening to treat all vessels in the Black Sea as potential military targets.
In response, Ukraine has announced a humanitarian corridor along the coast of Romania and Bulgaria as an alternate route.
Simultaneously, Ukraine’s Air Force successfully shot down 17 drones over the Izmail port on the Danube River.
While no casualties or injuries were reported, the attack caused damage to port infrastructure, including warehouses and production buildings.
This drone assault occurred just before the meeting between Putin and Erdogan, which aimed to discuss the Ukrainian grain export deal that had previously eased the food crisis in various regions.
Erdogan has expressed sympathy with Putin’s position and pledged to revive the Black Sea deal.
The United Nations has also made efforts to revive the agreement, but Russian officials have expressed dissatisfaction with the proposals.
Putin has reiterated his stance on reinstating the deal only after the West meets Moscow’s demands on its agricultural exports.
He emphasized that the Black Sea corridors should not be exploited for military purposes.
The United States and the European Union have dismissed Moscow’s complaints as baseless, stating that their sanctions do not target Russian grain and fertilizers.
However, a failure to revive the agreement will have drastic impacts on several African countries heavily reliant on Ukrainian and Russian grain.
Putin announced that Russia is weeks away from supplying free grain to six African nations, alleging that a significant portion of the grain exported through the Black Sea deal went to the West instead of the intended impoverished countries.
Hopes were high in Turkey that Erdogan would be able to convince Putin to return to the Black Sea grain deal, given their close ties during the 18-month war in Ukraine.
Turkey has not joined Western sanctions against Russia and has become a significant trading partner and logistical hub for Russia’s overseas trade.
Russia has escalated drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian grain ports and storage infrastructure.
Ukraine has established its own corridor from the port of Odesa since the end of the grain deal, but Russia has threatened to treat all ships calling at Ukrainian ports as potential military targets.
The European Union has condemned recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure used for exporting grain.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock criticized Putin’s decision to block the Black Sea grain deal, accusing him of playing “cynical” games.
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| aljazeera.com |
|---|
| – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks on Ukrainian grain exports in Sochi. – |
| The meeting took place nearly two months after Russia quit a UN- and Turkey-brokered agreement that allowed Ukraine to export grain and other commodities from three of its Black Sea ports during the war with Russia. |
| – Erdogan expressed optimism that the deal could be revived soon. |
| – Putin stated that Russia is ready to return to the deal once restrictions on its own exports are lifted. |
| – Putin dismissed Western claims that Russia’s exit from the deal caused a global food crisis, stating that there is no physical shortage of food. |
| – Russia has been working to address African concerns about the impact of the deal’s collapse on food security and is close to a deal with six African countries to supply them with up to 50,000 tonnes of grain. – |
| The meeting between Putin and Erdogan is seen as critical for reaching an agreement on the grain deal, which affects world food supplies. |
| – Analysts expected tough negotiations in Sochi, with Putin likely to fight for concessions on his wish list. – |
| The abandoned deal aimed to alleviate a global food crisis by allowing Ukrainian grain to leave ports during the ongoing conflict. – Russia and Ukraine are major players in the agricultural markets for wheat, barley, corn, rapeseed, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed, and sunflower oil. – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has sent concrete proposals to Russia to revive the deal. – Russian demands implied by the agreement have yet to be implemented under the previous deal. – |
| Since quitting the grain deal, Russia has targeted Ukrainian ports with missile and drone strikes and threatened to treat all vessels on the Black Sea as potential military targets. – Ukraine has announced a humanitarian corridor as an alternate route along the coast of Romania and Bulgaria. |
| aljazeera.com |
|---|
| – Ukraine’s Air Force shot down 17 drones over the Izmail port on the Danube River. – |
| The attack caused damage to port infrastructure, including warehouses and production buildings. – No casualties or injuries were reported. – |
| The drone assault occurred before a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. – |
| The meeting was intended to discuss a Ukrainian grain export deal that had eased a food crisis in various regions. – Russia had recently quit the agreement, citing obstacles to its food and fertilizer exports and insufficient Ukrainian grain going to countries in need. – Russia has launched frequent attacks on the ports of the Danube River, a major route for Ukrainian grain exports. – |
| The scale of Monday’s attack is unknown. – |
| The meeting between Putin and Erdogan is expected to play a crucial role in reviving the grain corridor. – Erdogan has expressed sympathy with Putin’s position and pledged to revive the Black Sea deal. – Russia has demanded improvements in its exports of grain and fertilizer, including reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT international payments system. – |
| The United Nations has also made efforts to revive the deal, but Russian officials have expressed dissatisfaction with the proposals. |
| aljazeera.com |
|---|
| – Russian President Vladimir Putin has reiterated his stance on reinstating a United Nations-brokered deal to safely ship Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea only after the West meets Moscow’s demands on its agricultural exports. – Russia refused to extend the deal in July, complaining that a parallel agreement promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertiliser had not been honoured. |
| – Putin reiterated those complaints and said that the Black Sea corridors should not be used for military purposes. |
| – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope that a breakthrough could come soon and said Turkey and the UN have put together a new package of proposals to unblock the issue. – |
| The United States and the European Union have dismissed Moscow’s complaints as without merit, saying their sanctions do not target Russian grain and fertilisers. – |
| A failure to revive the agreement will have “drastic impacts” in several African countries that rely heavily on Ukrainian and Russian grain. |
| – Putin announced that Russia is weeks away from supplying free grain to six African countries. – |
| The Russian leader alleged that a large chunk of the grain exported via the Black Sea deal went to the West instead of the poor countries. – Hopes were high in Turkey that Erdogan would be able to convince Putin to return to the Black Sea grain deal. – Erdogan has maintained close ties with Putin during the 18-month war in Ukraine. – Turkey has not joined Western sanctions against Russia and has emerged as a main trading partner and logistical hub for Russia’s overseas trade. |
| – Russia has ramped up drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian grain ports and storage infrastructure. – Ukraine has set up its own corridor since the end of the grain deal – from the port of Odesa – but Russia has threatened to treat all ships calling at Ukrainian ports as potential military targets. – |
| The EU has condemned recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure used for exporting grain. |
| – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock slammed Putin’s decision to block the Black Sea grain deal, accusing him of playing “cynical” games. |
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