Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated after meeting with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday that Russia is ready to return to the Black Sea grain deal. But Putin continues to impose the same conditions on the West: above all, to connect the agricultural bank Rosselkhozbank with SWIFT again, also to obtain spare parts for agricultural machinery and to unlock transport logistics and insurance. It also calls for rescuing the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline and unfreezing the assets of Russian companies.
The leaders of both countries talked for three hours. Despite the friendly language, the Russian leader has not backed down from any of his positions. “We will be willing to renew the grain agreement once all the commitments are met,” Putin reiterated, who assured that “grain prices are falling, there is no shortage of food”. In any case, he assured that “we were forced to withdraw from the grain agreement.”
The Russian leader announced on the other hand that “we are close to an agreement for the supply of free food to Africa”, and that the supply will begin “in the next two or three weeks”. This is a different way of aid that Russia put on the table to supply African countries with a small part of the grain that they lack, as a result of the Russian blockade of Ukrainian ports, and incidentally appease the Kremlin’s image crisis in emerging countries that are exposed to famine.
Russian spokesman Dimitri Peskov had said during the meeting that the first part of the talks had been very constructive, but that no documents were expected to be signed at the end of the meeting. For Erdogan, the summit, which also reviewed key joint projects for the Turkish economy, is a way to vindicate himself before the West and emerging countries such as a reliable mediator for global stability. Before the meeting, Putin had told Turkey’s leader that he was willing to discuss the grain deal. A pact that Russia abandoned in July. But Putin reiterated his litany of complaints and the agreement, to this day, is not in sight.
Erdogan, in any case, was optimistic. “We believe that we will reach a solution that will meet expectations in a short time”the Turk said in the Russian Black Sea resort town of Sochi after his first face-to-face meeting with Putin since 2022. The Turkish leader noted that Russia’s expectations were well known to all and shortcomings had to be ironed out. , adding that Turkey and the UN had worked on a new package of suggestions to alleviate Russian concerns.