Russian President Vladimir Putin does not currently have plans for a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the coming days, although such a conversation can be arranged if necessary. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for the Russian president, made this statement in response to a question from TASS.
"No, there is no such conversation scheduled for the president at the moment. If necessary, it will be organized," said the Kremlin spokesperson, commenting on Erdogan's statement that he intends to speak with Putin before the grain deal expires on July 17.
Peskov reminded reporters that on Thursday, Putin had already expressed his position on the grain deal. "There have been no new developments yet," stated the Kremlin spokesperson.
Putin emphasized that the grain deal had been a "one-way street" and that nothing had been done regarding Russian interests. He confirmed that Russia may suspend its participation in the grain deal and would rejoin it once the promises made to Moscow were fulfilled.
The agreements on food exports from Ukraine were initially concluded on July 22, 2022, in Istanbul for a duration of 120 days and have since been extended multiple times. One part of the agreement governs the export procedure for grain from Ukrainian ports under Kyiv's control, such as Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny. The other part addresses access to global markets for Russian agricultural products and fertilizers. Russian authorities have repeatedly stated that certain clauses of the deal, including the agreement on preferential grain supplies to the poorest countries, have not been fulfilled. They have also highlighted obstacles created for the export of Russian fertilizers and foodstuffs to the global market.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS