Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he was confident of a speedy resumption of the grain deal. On Monday, he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who broke the deal in July.
Erdogan said after his meeting with Putin: “We as Turkey believe that the solution will come soon and meet expectations.”
Putin halted the grain deal because he disagreed with Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The Russian president has said repeatedly in recent months that he will not rejoin the grain deal if the West does not meet its conditions.
Russia complains about restrictions on the export of Russian goods such as fertilizers. Putin has said for weeks that he does not consider the resumption of the grain deal possible until all restrictions on the export of Russian goods are lifted.
Western sanctions imposed on Russia do not include the export of these products, but according to Putin, the West is “cheating”. For example, Russia is no longer connected to the international payment system SWIFT as punishment for invading Ukraine. This would hinder trade.
The grain deal allowed Ukraine to safely export its grain crops by ship across the Black Sea. A steady supply of grain would prevent grain prices from rising around the world. An increase would cause problems, especially for poor countries.
