The media learned about the study of the resumption of negotiations on the grain deal

Turkey and the UN are working on specific proposals for the resumption of the grain deal with the Russian technical delegation in Istanbul. About it reported RIA Novosti, citing a source who takes part in the negotiation process.

“We are currently working on the possibilities of this meeting. We are preparing specific proposals for discussion. Contacts go through the appropriate channels. The process does not stop,” the source said.

According to the agency, the talks between Russian and Turkish Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which will take place in September, could open up opportunities for the resumption of the Black Sea initiative. “There are very high hopes for these negotiations, in many respects they will show clarity on the future,” the source added.

Formerly Turkish newspaper Milliyet wrotethat in September, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who went to Kyiv on August 25, can visit Moscow. According to the newspaper, among the possible scenarios for the resumption of the Black Sea initiative are tripartite negotiations between Russia, Turkey and the UN, as well as, if progress is made, inviting Ukraine to the negotiations.

The grain deal was concluded on July 22, 2022 by representatives of Turkey and the UN on the one hand and representatives of Russia and Ukraine on the other. As part of the negotiations, two agreements were signed between Moscow and Kiev. The first is for the export of Ukrainian grain from three ports, including Odessa, Yuzhny and Chornomorsk, the second is for assistance in the export of Russian grain and fertilizers. Moscow has repeatedly stated that the second part of the deal is not being implemented. Despite this, the deal was extended several times. On July 17, 2023, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Initiative.

Since then, Western countries have repeatedly urged Moscow to return to the grain deal. In particular, on August 3, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that in the event of Moscow’s return, Washington “will continue to do whatever is necessary” to export food. In response, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the United States should facilitate the implementation of the grain deal, and not promise to “think about it.”

August 22 Russian President Vladimir Putin remindedthat Moscow may return to the grain deal if its terms are met. He stressed that during the operation of the Black Sea initiative, all the conditions and obligations to Russia “in this respect were simply ignored.”