Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss a new mechanism to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during his upcoming visit to Ankara this month, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday.
Fidan added that the issue is always on Türkiye’s agenda, and will certainly be on the table during Putin’s visit. He stressed that depriving some countries in the south and in Africa of wheat remains a humanitarian issue.
Turkish media had reported that Putin will be in Ankara on Feb. 12. The Kremlin said it is preparing for the visit, but did not disclose a date.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative was signed between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul in July 2022. The accord was brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye to provide safe passage to exports from Ukrainian ports. However, Moscow pulled out of the deal in July 2023.
Fidan told the A Haber television that Putin’s “visit will provide us with the opportunity to discuss numerous issues.”
He revealed that energy, the war on Gaza, Black Sea trade routes and Syria will be on the agenda.
Fidan said there are efforts to find “new methods” to transport Ukrainian grain to world markets.
“The previous grain deal worked within a certain mechanism; now, there is a possibility of going with a different mechanism and there are efforts to concretize this possibility,” the minister revealed.
Russia withdrew from the deal after efforts to ease pathways for its own food and fertilizer exports ran afoul of western sanctions.
While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have amounted to a barrier to shipments.
