Turkish, Russian leaders meet in Sochi for talks

By Diyar Guldogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday met in Russia's coastal city of Sochi for talks.

During his day-long working visit, Erdogan will discuss current regional and global issues, as well as bilateral relations with Putin.

Reviving last year's historic Black Sea grain deal that helped ease global food crisis will also be on the agenda between the leaders, who will later hold a joint news conference.

On July 17, Russia suspended its participation in the 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.