Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed implementation of grain deal
Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Republic of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed the implementation of the grain deal and the record high growth in trade between the countries, according to the Kremlin.
“The implementation of the Istanbul agreements of July 22 on the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports and the export of Russian agricultural produce and fertiliser was considered. This deal is complex, requiring the removal of barriers to relevant supplies from Russia in order to meet the requirements of the countries most in need”, reads the statement.
The special importance of joint energy projects, primarily in the gas industry, was emphasised. Following the recent talks in Istanbul by Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller the discussion continued of the initiative to create a regional gas hub in Turkiye.
On 22 July 2022, Ukraine, Turkey, Russia and the UN signed an agreement to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor for commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea – Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. The agreement is in force for 120 days and can be extended upon expiry. The first ship with Ukrainian grain left Odesa on August 1.
On 30 October 2022, Russia officially informed UN Secretary-General António Guterres about its decision to suspend its involvement in the Black Sea Grain Initiative due to an attack on ships of RF Navy’s Black Sea Fleet. According to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, the ships of RF Navy’s Black Sea Fleet involved in ensuring safety of the ‘grain corridor’ were attacked on 29 October 2022.
On 2 November 2022 Russia announced the return to implementation of the Black Sea grain corridor deal having obtained written guarantees from Ukraine on the non-use of the humanitarian corridor for military operations against the Russian Federation.
