Putin Meets Erdogan: "All Demands Must Be Met for Grain Deal Return"

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated his previous stance that Russia will only return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative once all demands, including the lifting of sanctions, are met, despite efforts by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an to persuade him otherwise.

[Image source=TASS Yonhap News]

On the 4th (local time), President Putin held a press conference after a summit with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an in Sochi, Russia, stating, “The West continues to fail to fulfill its commitments to Russia under the grain agreement,” adding, "Russia is ready to resume the grain agreement and will implement it immediately once all agreed terms are fulfilled."

The Black Sea Grain Initiative is an agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to ensure that Ukraine, the world's largest grain exporter, can export grain through Black Sea ports even during Russia's special military operation. However, Russia declared the termination of the agreement on July 17, citing that its own grain and fertilizer export-related issues have not been addressed due to Western sanctions. Accordingly, attention was focused on whether Russia would decide to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative during this summit, where President Erdo?an acted as a mediator.

With President Putin reiterating Russia’s position that all its demands must be met first, the summit ended without any significant outcome. In response, President Erdo?an said, “We have prepared a new proposal for Russia in consultation with the United Nations,” and added, “We will continue to narrow differences and push for the resumption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative.” Earlier, UN Secretary-General Ant?nio Guterres had sent a letter containing proposals for resuming the Black Sea Grain Initiative to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Concerns over prolonged instability in the international grain market are growing. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), international grain prices are estimated to rise by 10-15% due to the impact of Russia’s termination of the agreement. The international community is also increasingly worried that the suspension of Ukrainian grain exports will cause food shortages and hunger in underdeveloped African countries. Africa and the Middle East are among the regions highly dependent on Ukrainian grain. In response, President Putin stated, "Contracts for Russia to supply grain to six African countries will soon be finalized."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.