Putin Tells Erdogan Grain Shipments Can Resume After Attack Investigation

Russian President Vladimir Putin told Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Moscow would be willing to resume the  Turkish- and United Nations-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allows grain exports from Ukraine to the rest of the world, after the completion of a “detailed investigation” of the alleged drone attacks on the Crimean naval port of Sevastopol and  “real guarantees” from Kyiv about not using a humanitarian corridor for military attacks.

Erdogan and Putin held the phone call on Tuesday, days after Russia suspended the agreement, brokered in July by Turkey and the United Nations, after the drone attacks on Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Crimea which Russia blames on Ukraine. Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the attack and says that it does not use the humanitarian shipping corridor for military purposes. A readout of the call from the Turkish Presidency said Erdogan told Putin he was “sure a solution-oriented cooperation will be established on this issue.”

The agreement has enabled some nine million tons of Ukrainian grain to be exported and helped to ease the global food crisis brought about by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February. The agreement was due to be renewed on November 19.