Erdogan says Black Sea grain deal could be revived after Putin talks

Washington — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that a solution to the pending Black Sea grain initiative could be found “in a short time.”

Deal — Which was reached by mediation between Türkiye, the United Nations, Ukraine and Russia in July 2022 — It helped ease the Kremlin’s naval blockade of the Black Sea, and created a humanitarian corridor for agricultural exports.

“We believe that we will reach a solution that meets expectations in a short time,” Erdogan said during a press conference in the Black Sea city of Sochi. According to a Reuters report.

Read more: Global food insecurity stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war is high on the agenda as the United States assumes the presidency of the UN Security Council

“Ukraine especially needs to soften its approach so that it will be possible to take joint steps with Russia,” the Turkish president added.

Putin said he was ready to “consider the possibility of reviving the grain deal” on condition of “full implementation” of Russian agricultural products in the new deal. The Russian leader also blamed Western governments for provoking the global food security crisis after Moscow’s exit from the Black Sea grain deal.

“There is no material shortage of food,” Putin told reporters after the bilateral meeting with Erdogan. The Russian president added that food prices did not rise after Moscow canceled the agreement.

Under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, more than 1,000 ships carrying nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian wheat, barley, corn and sunflower have departed from three Black Sea ports to global destinations.

Also agree Facilitating the transportation of 725,167 tons of wheat Aboard a World Food Program ship to some of the most food insecure countries on earth, including Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

Russia withdrew from the agriculture pact nearly a year after all parties met in Istanbul to sign the agreement. The Kremlin said earlier that only Ukraine benefited from the agreement.

In the aftermath of the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russian forces rained down missiles on Ukrainian ports and agricultural facilities, sending wheat prices soaring for three days.

Moreover, the top US spy agency said last week that Russia’s large-scale invasion in Ukraine has disrupted global food security and caused not only price hikes, but also political instability in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.

Read more: CIA: Food insecurity due to Russia’s war in Ukraine sparked instability in other countries

not classified 8 page report The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the country’s 18 intelligence agencies, said Russian forces stole nearly 6 million tons of Ukrainian wheat, likely for export.

The Kremlin has previously denied that its forces in Ukraine targeted civilian infrastructure and engaged in looting.