Putin: There will be no deal on wheat without meeting Moscow's demands

2023-09-04 19:58:52, Kosova & Bota CNA

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today after the meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi that the agreement on the export of Ukrainian wheat from three Black Sea ports could be revived soon.

However, Russian President Putin repeated to reporters Moscow's position that Russia will be ready to return to the wheat agreement only after the fulfillment of other agreements.

In July, Russia withdrew from the wheat deal, claiming that a parallel agreement to remove barriers to Russian exports of food and chemical fertilizers was not being implemented.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the wheat deal was the main issue in a day of talks between the two leaders in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the Russian president has a holiday home. He expressed confidence that a solution to this issue can be found.

Putin and Erdogan are expected to meet amid efforts to renew the wheat agreement
September 1, 19:20

"Turkey believes that within a short period of time an agreement can be reached that meets all expectations," President Erdogan said.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin repeated criticism of the West over the Ukrainian grain export deal, which Russia refused to extend in July.

"The West continues to block exports of grain and chemical fertilizers from the Russian Federation," he said.

But Ukraine and its Western allies have said that the Russian President's demands are a political maneuver aimed at advancing the interests of the Kremlin.

The wheat deal, which was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations a year ago, was considered vital to the global food supply network, particularly in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Erdogan will try to convince Putin to revive the Black Sea grain deal
September 4, 13:04

"We will be ready to consider the possibility of reviving the wheat agreement, and I told President Erdogan that we would do this immediately after the lifting of restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products and the implementation of other agreements on these issues," he said . President Putin.

Russia has complained that a parallel agreement that provided for the removal of barriers to Russian exports of food and chemical fertilizers was not being implemented.

Ukraine and Russia are the main suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other commodities that developing countries rely on.

The meeting between Turkish President Erdogan and Russian President Putin takes place at a time when Ukraine has intensified its counteroffensive against Russian forces, more than 18 months after the beginning of the Russian aggression./ VOA