Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have spoken on the phone about possible solutions to the dispute over grain exports from Ukraine. It is time for the United Nations to implement the plan for a grain corridor through the Black Sea, said a statement from the Turkish Presidential Office on Monday. The Kremlin said it was also about economic cooperation between the two countries. There was also talk of a planned “Russian-Turkish meeting at the highest level” in the near future. Details were not given.
Later in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted that he too had spoken to Erdogan about ways to unblock ports and resume grain exports.
Russia had recently shown itself willing to talk about grain stocks, which have been stuck in Ukraine since the war began in late February. At the same time, Moscow, which started the war, vehemently denies that it is preventing wheat exports and thus endangering world food security. On the other hand, many Western politicians and Ukraine itself clearly blame Russia for the situation.
According to both sides, Putin and Erdogan also discussed the situation in Syria during their phone call. Ankara said Erdogan had spoken out in favor of extending the cross-border aid mechanism in Syria. The regulation, which expired on Sunday, allowed the United Nations to bring important aid supplies across the border to parts of Syria that are not controlled by the government.
However, the United Nations Security Council was unable to agree on extending the mechanism. Last Friday, Russia vetoed a draft resolution that would continue for another year. A counter-resolution by Russia, according to which the Bab al-Hawa border crossing should remain open for six months, did not find a majority either.