President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will urge Moscow to send goods through the Black Sea corridor established under a U.N.-backed grain deal when he meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin next week, the Turkish leader said Friday, seeking to keep Russia engaged in the arrangement.
The landmark grain deal aimed to avert a global food crisis by guaranteeing the safe passage of ships in and out of Ukrainian ports, allowing them to export tens of millions of tons of grain that Russia’s invasion had blockaded.
The deal – signed by Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye and the United Nations – also facilitates Russian exports. But Moscow says Western countries are not doing enough to ease logistical difficulties faced by Russian ships due to their sanctions.
Putin on Wednesday triggered fears that Moscow could withdraw support for the accord after he said Russia and the developing world had been "cheated" by its terms, floating the idea of limiting the countries that can receive shipments before the deal, which expires in November, is extended.
"As Mr. Putin said, those ships (using the corridor) are going to either developed or developing countries. Maybe that’s why Mr. Putin doesn’t ship Russian products. Of course, in our meeting in Samarkand, we will now ask him to send Russian products through the corridor with ships," Erdoğan told reporters on his plane returning from a trip to the Balkans.
The export of Russian grain and other goods will help poor countries in a difficult situation, he said. A system will be established to ship grain and other products to African countries in need once Russian grain also starts to arrive, he added.
"If Russian grain starts to arrive, we will send this grain, other products, all of them, until they reach these poor African countries."
‘Much needed’ Erdoğan-Putin meeting
Putin and Erdoğan are set to discuss the implementation of the deal when they meet on the sidelines of a summit of leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Uzbekistan next week.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that a meeting between the leaders over the deal was "possible and necessary."
"A conversation between Putin and Erdoğan is already being prepared and, as we are hoping, will take place in Samarkand," Peskov said. "This conversation is much needed."
The July deal to unlock Ukrainian grain exports from its Black Sea ports was brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations. It remains the only significant diplomatic breakthrough in the six-month-old conflict.
The Turkish leader has said Putin was right to complain that grain was going mostly to wealthy countries.
"There are many countries in a difficult situation, especially in Africa, which we need to embrace and send these goods to as soon as possible," Erdoğan said.
Peskov on Friday repeated Putin’s assertions that the grain deal was unfair on the poorest countries because most shipments were being sent to Europe and other rich countries.
"The agreements are being implemented, but the way they are being implemented does not give any specific benefits to poor countries," Peskov said.
Deal being fulfilled ‘badly’
Separately, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the deal was being fulfilled "badly" and its extension will depend on how it is implemented, RIA reported on Friday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told reporters that any extension of the deal would depend on "how all aspects are implemented."
"Unfortunately, it’s not being implemented quite as planned," he said.
"The second part of the deal, namely exports of Russian grains and fertilizers, unfortunately still faces difficulties," Rudenko said, according to comments carried by Russian news agencies.
Meanwhile, the United States said it sees no indication that the deal is unraveling.
"We see no indication that it’s falling apart now and it is in fact having the intended effect," White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.
A U.N. spokesperson for the Black Sea Grain Initiative said on Wednesday that 30% of the grain and other foodstuffs that had left Ukraine had gone to low and lower-middle income countries.
But the United Nations has also said the export deal is a commercial – not humanitarian – operation, driven by the market.
Many of the 100 or so ships that have left Ukraine had been stranded for months by the blockade, unable to move their contracted cargoes. Most were laden with corn and booked by developed countries to be used for animal feed or biofuels.
Peskov also said further steps needed to be taken to help Russia export its own agricultural products.
The West has not imposed sanctions on Russian foodstuffs or fertilizers, but Moscow says logistical sanctions and restrictions on Russian ships entering Western ports or securing insurance restrict Russia's access to world markets.
Moscow says easing these restrictions was a key part of the Black Sea deal.
"This issue has not been resolved. It will be the topic for a specific conversation," Peskov said.
‘Very problematic’ winter for Europe
Meanwhile, Erdoğan also said he had discussed natural gas prices with Putin and said he aims to secure a positive outcome for the well-being of the Turkish public.
The two leaders had met early in August and agreed to boost business cooperation.
This winter will not be easy for Europe and will be very problematic, with financially heavy pay, Erdoğan stressed.
Energy bills, already surging as demand for gas recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, rocketed higher after Russia invaded Ukraine and the West imposed sanctions on Moscow. Governments have been scrambling to limit the price shock.
Fears in Europe have increased over a potentially bleak winter after Russia announced it was keeping its main gas pipeline to Germany shut.
Erdoğan on Tuesday said Russia was cutting natural gas flows to Europe in retaliation for sanctions, adding that the continent was "reaping what it sowed."