Turkish President Erdogan arrives in Sochi to meet Putin

By Diyar Guldogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday arrived in Russia's coastal city of Sochi as part of his day-long working visit for the revival of the Black Sea grain deal.

Erdogan will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss current regional and global issues, as well as bilateral relations. They will also hold a joint news conference.

On July 17, Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain deal, brokered by Türkiye and the UN, to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports that were paused after the Ukraine war, which started in February 2022.

Moscow has complained that the West has not met its obligations regarding Russia's own grain exports, and that not enough Ukrainian grain was going to countries in need. It says restrictions on payments, logistics, and insurance have been a barrier to its shipments.

Confirming the importance of fulfilling Russia's demands for the export of its own grain and fertilizer, Türkiye says there is no alternative to the initiative.

Ankara has been carrying out intense diplomatic efforts for the restoration of the July 2022 deal and has also called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through negotiations.

In July, Erdogan also met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul to discuss the matters.