Erdogan Visits Sochi To Revive Stalled Black Sea Grain Deal
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Russia’s coastal city of Sochi on Monday for a daylong working visit focused on reviving the Black Sea grain deal. Erdoğan is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral relations and current regional and global issues and hold a joint news conference.
The visit comes after Russia suspended its participation in the Black Sea grain deal on July 17. The agreement, facilitated by Turkey and the United Nations, aimed to restart grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports that were halted due to the war in Ukraine, which erupted in February 2022. Moscow has argued that the West has failed to meet obligations regarding Russia’s own grain exports and claims restrictions have impeded its shipments.
Turkey insists there is no alternative to the deal and has been engaged in intense diplomatic efforts to restore the agreement. In July, Erdoğan also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul to address these issues. Turkey has urged both Kyiv and Moscow to end the war through negotiations.
