Erdoğan to press Putin on reviving Black Sea grain deal and Ukraine peace talks

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he will urge Vladimir Putin to revive the Black Sea grain deal and discuss fresh efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Erdoğan said on Sunday (23 November) he will hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. Speaking after a G20 summit in South Africa, Erdoğan described the grain agreement as a step towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Erdoğan said the deal, brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations in 2022, had helped secure exports of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain, but that the agreement “did not continue after” and must be revived. “During the discussions we will have tomorrow, I will again ask Mr. Putin about this. I think it would be very beneficial if we can start this process,” he said.

He said he would also raise how to “end the deaths” in Ukraine and would share the outcomes of his conversation with European and U.S. leaders and allies, according to his office. Erdoğan did not comment directly on Washington’s 28-point draft plan to end the war; Kyiv and European partners have expressed alarm at elements they view as major concessions to Russia, officials meeting in Geneva have said.

Türkiye, a NATO member, has kept cordial ties with both Kyiv and Moscow throughout the conflict. Ankara has provided military support to Ukraine while refraining from joining Western sanctions on Russia. It has hosted three rounds of peace talks in Istanbul and offered to host a leaders’ meeting in a bid to mediate.

Last week, Erdoğan hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Ankara. On Sunday, he also discussed the war with the leaders of France and Italy, his office said.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed in July 2022 and brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations, allowed the safe export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain despite the conflict. Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023, citing obstacles to its own food and fertilizer exports and restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance that it said blocked shipments.

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