Putin-Erdogan Summit In Sochi To Resume Wheat Deal And Bring Peace To Ukraine

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived on Monday, September 4, in the Russian city of Sochi on the Black Sea to discuss with Russian leader Vladimir Putin the terms that could bring Russia back to the international agreement on maritime exports of Ukrainian wheat. The face-to-face meeting between Putin and Erdogan began shortly after noon at the Imperial Green Room of the Rus’ seaside sanatorium, not far from the site of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

The parties will also analyze Ankara’s proposals to find a peaceful solution in Ukraine. Putin, for his part, intends to expand the agenda of negotiations and discuss with Erdogan the issue of developing trade and economic cooperation with Turkey, primarily concerning the increase of Russian gas exports via the Blue Stream and Turkish Stream Black Sea gas pipelines.

The UN-led international community that sponsored the signing of the agreement on July 22, 2022 by Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey, insists on the immediate restoration of the agreement, which is considered an important tool to mitigate the risks of a global food crisis.

Russia withdrew from the agreement on July 17, condemning “sabotage” by the West, which Moscow said had blocked the part of the agreement that guaranteed free exports of Russian agri-food products and fertilizers. In addition, as a prerequisite, the Kremlin demanded that the Russian agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank be reconnected to the SWIFT international interbank telecommunications system. On the eve of the summit, sources in the UN reported that a general arrangement would be reached with the US and the EU regarding the access of Rosselkhozbank to SWIFT. The implementation of the grain agreement allowed Ukraine to export more than 34 million tons of grain, vegetable oil, and some other types of food in 2022-2023.

Putin claims that Ukrainian grain, instead of going to the poorest countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, “was largely absorbed by rich European countries” and has repeatedly stated that Russia is not against the agreement, but calls for its full compliance in part that protects the interests of the Russian agri-food industry. “That part of the agreement, which provided for the free export of Russian products, was never respected. When and if appropriate guarantees appear, then we will be able to return to the negotiating table,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was preparing the summit together with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.

According to Lavrov, regardless of the outcome of the talks between Putin and Erdogan, “Moscow is already organizing practical work to carry out free deliveries of Russian grain to the six neediest African countries.” Each of the affected countries, Lavrov added, will receive up to 50,000 tons of Russian grain free of charge.

For Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who spoke to reporters on Monday, September 4, during his visit to the Forbidden City in Beijing, the meeting between Putin and Erdogan “is an important meeting, and I believe that everything must be done to find an agreement on all war-related issues. The agreement on the Black Sea route, which should also deliver grain to many African countries, must be implemented. It is good if Erdogan supports this operation, which will be a small step towards peace.”