Putin and Erdogan discussed grain deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin, as part of telephone conversations with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced Moscow’s readiness to return to the grain deal as soon as the West fulfills its second part, informed Kremlin press office.

It was noted that in the conditions of a complete lack of progress in the implementation of the Russian part of the grain deal, its next extension has lost its meaning.

“The readiness to return to the Istanbul agreements was confirmed as soon as the West actually fulfills all the obligations to Russia recorded in them,” the message says.

The development of reliable options for the supply of Russian grain, including on a gratuitous basis, is carried out taking into account the needs of the countries most in need of food. This issue was discussed at the second Russia-Africa summit held in St. Petersburg. “The mood was expressed for cooperation in this area with Turkey and other interested states,” the Kremlin stressed.

During telephone conversations, Erdogan and Putin also agreed on the visit of the Russian President to Turkey. The date of the visit has not yet been set.

On July 27, Putin at the plenary session of the Russia-Africa forum assessed the results of the work of the agreement. According to him, during the year of the deal, 32.8 million tons of cargo was exported from Ukraine, of which 70% went to high-income countries. At the same time, according to his data, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and other African countries accounted for less than 3% of the total supply – less than 1 million tons.

First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Dmitry Polyansky at a meeting of the UN Security Council on July 21 named seven conditions for Russia’s return to the grain agreement. In particular, providing conditions for expanding the supply of fertilizers and raw materials for their production, connecting to the SWIFT international banking settlement system, etc.