Breaking News Turkey with agencies
As part of Ankara’s continuing efforts for the re-implementation of the agreement, Türkiye’s foreign minister on Tuesday spoke with his Russian counterpart over the phone to discuss the Black Sea grain deal which Moscow suspended.
Turkish diplomatic sources said on Tuesday Hakan Fidan and Sergey Lavrov addressed the latest developments regarding the deal and the procurement of a firefighting aircraft from Russia to use in forest fires.
A year ago, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports which had been paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022.
Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he believes his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin wants the continuation of the grain corridor. Erdoğan, in this regard, does not rule out a possible phone conversation with Putin.
A Joint Coordination Center with officials from Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the UN was set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.
However, Russia on Monday suspended the Black Sea grain deal.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia will return to implementing the deal as soon as the Russian part of the deal is fulfilled.
Türkiye, internationally praised for its unique mediator role between Ukraine and Russia, has repeatedly called on Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through negotiations.