As the war rages in full swing in Ukraine and tensions have risen in the Black Sea, Erdogan made the trip over to Sochi today to meet Vladimir Putin. The backdrop for this meeting is the famous grain agreement, which Russia put an end to this summer. Since then, Ukraine’s ports and grain warehouses have been consistently subjected to Russian attacks. As recently as earlier today, another grain town in Ukraine was attacked. Izmajil, one of Ukraine’s most important ports for grain exports, was under intense attack that lasted several hours. After the meeting, Erdogan said he believes they are nearing a solution to renew the agreement. Putin says they are open to it, but then restrictions on the export of Russian agriculture must be removed. That includes access to the Swift payment system, which Russia has been barred from since 2022. Russia and Ukraine are two of the world’s largest exporters of grain. Much of the grain is transported by ship from the port city of Odesa in Ukraine. The grain is vital for several countries in Africa and Asia. Somalia imports almost all the grain the country needs. More than half come from Ukraine. Tunisia is also a major importer of Ukrainian grain. Thousands of families cannot buy the food they need, according to the UN. Lebanon imports more than half of its grain from Ukraine. Food prices have skyrocketed. – We were forced to withdraw Putin claims that Russia was forced to withdraw from the grain agreement. They have long complained that their own food and fertilizer exports are being hindered. In addition, they believe that more of the Ukrainian wheat grain should go to poor countries. – We are ready to renew the grain agreement as soon as all restrictions on Russian agricultural exports are removed, Putin said after meeting with Erdogan. Among other things, he is referring to the Swift system, which will give Russian agriculture access to send money across national borders. A Ukrainian farmer holds a handful of grain in Zhurivka, Ukraine. Photo: Efrem Lukatsky / AP It was the UN and Turkey that established a grain agreement that ensured the safe export of Ukrainian grain a year ago. It ensured that 36 million tons of grain have been exported out of Ukraine since August, according to the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul. Food for Africa During the press conference, Putin also spoke about Africa. He says Russia is working on an agreement to send free food to six African countries. – We are approaching an agreement to deliver free food to Africa. The delivery will start in two to three weeks, says Putin according to Reuters. Putin further says that their proposal to deliver one million tonnes of grain to African countries via Turkey, with the support of Qatar, is not intended as an alternative to the grain agreement. Erdogan says Turkey will do everything to send grain to poor countries. A market in Mogadishu, Somalia sells wheat imported from Ukraine, July 15, 2023. Photo: Feisal Omar / Reuters The Russians have long criticized the West for not giving enough of the grain from Ukraine to Africa. They also claim that Putin’s wish that countries such as Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic and Eritrea should receive 50,000 tonnes of free wheat each has been ignored. Has created a new corridor At the same time, a new corridor has been established in the Black Sea for ships that want to leave Ukrainian ports. – Two new ships have sailed from Ukraine out through a temporary corridor in the Black Sea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed grain exports with France’s Emmanuel Macron on Sunday. – We discussed how the wheat corridor works and how security in the Odesa region can be strengthened, Zelenskyj said on social media after his telephone conversation with Macron.
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Erdogan meets Putin in Sochi – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
