How were the talks between Putin and Erdogan in Sochi

The talks between the presidents of Russia and Turkey in Sochi on September 4 were the first for the Turkish leader since his re-election in May 2023. Prior to that, the last time Erdogan visited Russia was on August 5, 2022 – the meeting then also took place in Sochi at the Rus sanatorium. After that, the heads of state met at summits in 2022, and called up many times in the same year.

The main intrigue of the negotiations was the discussion of the grain deal, from which Russia withdrew on July 17. Erdogan has repeatedly said that he will discuss with Putin the possibility of returning Russia to the agreements. The talks began at about 13.00 and took three hours – approximately equally in the expanded and narrow format. At the end of the talks in an expanded format with the participation of members of the delegations, the conversation continued tête-à-tête in the format of a working breakfast. After that, the two presidents held a joint press conference.

The agreement on the current face-to-face meeting was long ago, but for various reasons it was postponed, Putin recalled. The President of Russia personally congratulated Erdogan on his victory in the May elections.

In 2022, trade between the countries increased by 86%, Putin said. Relations between countries are diversifying. “We have made progress and, I hope, will soon complete negotiations on the creation of a gas hub in Turkey in order to make the situation more stable in the region,” the Russian President said. Deliveries of Turkish agricultural products to Russia have been expanded, he said. “In the field of energy, we are moving very confidently. Agreements have been reached between the main suppliers and consumers on both sides,” Putin said.

The construction of the Akkuyu NPP continues, he recalled: “The first unit will be launched next year. There are interesting possible options for our cooperation here.” According to him, the agenda also includes security issues in the region, the Ukrainian crisis and a grain deal.

Erdogan noted that the foreign trade turnover between the countries amounted to $62 billion and the task facing the states to bring it up to $100 billion is “pleasant”. He said that a separate meeting of the heads of the central banks of Turkey and Russia will be held in Sochi.

The construction of the gas hub will “enrich our relations,” the Turkish President believes. According to Erdogan, the whole world is watching what will happen with the grain deal in the future and what will be the result of negotiations on this topic. Erdogan believed that they would be able to send the appropriate message at the scheduled press conference.

The meeting in Sochi took place not only two months after Russia withdrew from the grain deal. In addition, a week before its termination, on July 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who held talks with Erdogan in Turkey, said that he had flown to Ukraine along with five commanders of the Azov regiment (recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in the Russian Federation).

Russia captured the Azovites and then exchanged them – on September 21, 2022, 55 people were transferred to Russia, including prisoners of war and the Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, Ukraine – 215 prisoners, but the Azov commanders remained in Turkey. After the exchange, Zelensky said that they would stay there until the end of hostilities.

In Sochi on September 4, Peskov, answering the question of Vedomosti whether the July transfer of Azov soldiers to Ukraine was discussed at the talks, said that the topic was not raised during the negotiations of the delegations. “This is a rather sensitive topic, and usually it is not discussed in such formats. There are authorized departments from both sides, they are conducting these negotiations,” he said.

No documents were signed following the talks, Peskov said. The heads of state went to the press, where they briefly spoke about the content of the meeting, then they were asked questions.

Putin said the talks were held in a constructive and businesslike atmosphere. He again spoke about the growth in trade – in 2022 it increased by 86% and reached a record $62 billion, and in the first half of 2023 it grew by another 4%. According to Putin, the central banks of the two countries are engaged in the development of a correspondent network between financial organizations in Russia and Turkey.

Putin called cooperation in the energy sector between the countries strategic – “Rosatom”continues to build Turkey’s first Akkuyu nuclear power plant with a capacity of 4800 MW, the start-up of the first power unit of which may take place in 2024. According to the Russian president, in 2022 Russia delivered to Turkey via the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream gas pipelines 21, 5 bcm m of gas, and in January-August 2023 – over 10 billion cubic meters. m. “We intend to continue to provide the Turkish economy with this cheap, but highly efficient and environmentally friendly type of fuel. Moreover, we are ready to export gas in transit through Turkey to consumers in third countries, where the partners are interested in this,” Putin said. That is why Russia proposed to create a gas hub in Turkey – “Gazprom” handed over to Botash a draft roadmap for the implementation of this project. On the agenda is the establishment of a joint working group that will resolve practical issues, Putin said.

After listing the achievements, Putin turned to the situation around Ukraine and the grain deal, stressing that Erdogan paid considerable attention to this. According to him, Western countries “refuse to withdraw from the sanctions the export of our grain and fertilizers, resume supplies of agricultural machinery and spare parts to Russia, remove problems with logistics and charter of ships, banking services and insurance of food supplies,” and Ukraine used grain export corridors for attacks on Russian military and civilian targets. At the same time, the termination of the deal did not affect the markets – grain prices continue to decline, there is no shortage of food. But there are problems with its fair distribution, Putin recalled: “Only 3% fell to the share of states that really need food aid, that is, less than 1 million tons [украинского экспорта]”.

Putin noted that Russia would be ready to consider the possibility of reviving the grain deal: “Immediately, as soon as all the agreements recorded in it on lifting restrictions on the export of Russian agricultural products are fully implemented.” At the same time, he recalled Moscow’s initiative to supply 1 million tons of grain on preferential terms with the support of Qatar to Turkey, where it will be ground into flour and sent to those in need. Free deliveries of Russian grain to six African countries in volumes of 50,000 tons or more will begin in two to three weeks, Putin said.

Erdogan said in response that it is possible to build a second nuclear power plant in the city of Sinop – this was discussed at the talks. As for the grain deal, Russia, according to the Turkish president, is talking about its expectations for its resumption, and Turkey is broadcasting them on various platforms. “I believe that we can achieve a result. Türkiye will make every effort for this,” Erdogan hopes.

Resuming the grain deal at this stage is difficult, said Turkish political scientist Hakan Aksai. The West has not yet demonstrated its readiness to comply with Russian conditions, which involve reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT interbank system and restoring the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline. And Ankara, with all its desire, cannot act on behalf of the West or put serious pressure on it so that they fulfill their promise to Moscow.

At the same time, a positive outcome of the meeting between the leaders of the two states was the decision to supply 1 million tons of Russian grain for grinding in Turkey and sending to African countries in need, said Arif Asalioglu, Director General of the International Institute for the Development of Scientific Cooperation. According to him, this project is beneficial to both countries. “For Moscow, this is an image project that allows you to strengthen your position on the Black Continent. And Turkish producers of agricultural products will have the opportunity to additionally load their capacities,” the expert noted. He added that this initiative will present Erdogan in a favorable light at the G20 summit in New Delhi on September 9-10.

The talks between Putin and Erdogan took place against the background of cooling relations between the two countries after the transfer of Azov by Ankara and the approval of the Turkish authorities for Sweden’s membership in NATO, Aksai noted. An indirect sign of tension, according to the expert, can be called the fact that the parties for a month could not agree on the place and time of the meeting. “Still, I don’t see any signs of a breakup. The parties depend on each other,” the expert said.

Erdogan, continues Asalioglu, needs to retain the role of the main moderator in the Ukrainian direction and turn Turkey into a gas hub for Europe. In addition, Ankara is interested in maintaining cooperation with Moscow in nuclear energy. In the same way, the Russian side needs Turkey, through the territory of which Russian companies bypass Western sanctions, and the authorities come into contact with Western elites, the expert concluded.