MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin will meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in Sochi, Al Jazeera reported, quoting Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Their talks come a week before Turkey and the United Nations seek to revive a Ukraine grain export deal that aided ease a global food crisis.
Peskov told the media persons on Friday, “It is true that the talks will be held on Monday. They will be in Sochi in the middle of the day.”
As international attempts to patch up the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which sent grain and other supplies to regions of Africa, the Middle East, and Asia where famine is a growing threat, continue, the declaration put an end to weeks of speculation about when and where the two presidents may meet next. It came to an end in July when Russia abruptly withdrew from the agreement, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Russia and Ukraine are important global providers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil, and other agricultural products that are essential to developing countries.
The deal was mediated by Turkey and the UN in July 2022. During the war with Russia, it permitted Ukraine to resume exporting food from three of its Black Sea ports.
Under the initiative, vessels sailed to and from Ukraine while ship and cargo inspections were managed from Turkey. While the deal was in force, around 33,000 tonnes of grain left Ukraine, according to Al Jazeera.
The UN said that the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022—which Russia refers to as a “special military operation”—was to blame for the world food crisis, which was addressed by the Black Sea grain agreement, Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)