Türkiye's initiative for peace talks with Ukraine, reviving grain deal being actively studied: Russia

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Russia is actively studying Türkiye's initiative to organize peace talks with Ukraine and revive the grain export agreement.

In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA, Lavrov commended Türkiye's overall efforts, particularly President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s personal role in seeking a resolution to the Ukraine conflict.

Lavrov recalled that Türkiye had previously facilitated the drafting of the only peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine, as well as agreements that enabled Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, later known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

"These agreements were later rejected or unimplemented by Kyiv," he noted. "The Ukrainian side declined to finalize the draft peace treaty, and they exploited the Black Sea corridor to conduct attacks and provocations against Russian vessels and coastal infrastructure."

Lavrov also pointed out that Russia's part of the deal, which aimed to normalize access to global markets for its agricultural products and fertilizers, has yet to be fulfilled.

"President Vladimir Putin affirmed during his meeting with President Erdogan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan that Russia is open to continuing discussions on Black Sea navigation. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed similar views, and all proposals are now under review by the relevant authorities," he said.

Türkiye first hosted a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in the Mediterranean city of Antalya in March 2022.

Those efforts led to the landmark Black Sea grain deal in 2022, but Moscow did not extend the agreement after July 2023, citing restrictions on Russian grain exports.