President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday that Türkiye was making efforts with all sides to solve problems about the implementation of the grain export deal.
Erdoğan’s phone call with Putin followed Russia’s withdrawal from the United Nations and Türkiye-brokered pact allowing Ukraine to export grain safely from its Black Sea ports during the monthslong war.
In an effort to try to restore the pact, Erdoğan will also speak with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the coming days, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavşoğlu said Tuesday.
Russia suspended its part of the pact on Saturday for an "indefinite term" because it could not "guarantee the safety of civilian ships" after an attack on its Black Sea fleet.
Erdoğan told Putin that he is sure solution-oriented cooperation will be established regarding the deal, a readout from the Turkish Presidency said.
Türkiye, U.N. and Ukraine pressed ahead to implement the pact and agreed on a transit plan on Monday for vessels to move forward, despite Russia's pullout.
"We believe we will overcome this... (the grain deal) benefits everyone," Çavuşoğlu told reporters on Tuesday.
Çavuşoğlu also said concrete steps need to be taken regarding the export of Russian grains and fertilizer, adding that problems needed to be overcome to sustain grain shipments under the agreement.
Erdoğan on Monday said Türkiye was determined to continue its efforts for the pact despite Russian hesitancy.
"Even if Russia behaves hesitantly because it didn't receive the same benefits, we will decisively continue our efforts to serve humanity," he said.
Separately, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on Tuesday told Ukraine's defense and infrastructure ministers that keeping the grain deal going was important, stressing that the initiative was a humanitarian initiative that should be kept separate from the conflict in the country.
Akar told his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov and Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov that the sustainability of the agreement was essential as it made a major contribution to resolving the global food crisis and proved that "problems can be solved through cooperation and dialogue."
Ukraine and Russia are key global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food to countries in Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia where many are already struggling with hunger.
Akar said grain shipments are "entirely a humanitarian activity" and should be kept separate from conflict conditions, according to a statement released by his ministry.
He also emphasized that Türkiye and Erdoğan were ready to do whatever they could, as they did in the past, to ensure peace in the region and the flow of humanitarian assistance.
The grain initiative has been a rare example of cooperation between Ukraine and Russia since Moscow’s invasion in February. It has allowed more than 9.7 million tons of grain to safely leave Ukrainian ports.
The agreement has brought down global food prices by about 15% from their peak in March, according to the U.N. Following Russia’s announcement, wheat futures prices jumped 5% on Monday in Chicago.
The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had urged Russia and Ukraine to renew the deal when it expires on Nov. 19.
Akar on Monday also discussed recent developments with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu and said Moscow should re-evaluate its decision.
He expressed that “the continuation of the grain initiative, which has greatly contributed to the solution of the global food crisis... carries great importance.”
“It is expected that the decision to suspend the grain export initiative, which needs to be held separately from the conditions of the conflict and is completely a humanitarian activity, is re-evaluated,” Akar also said, according to the defense ministry.
Earlier on Monday, the minister had warned that the suspension of the Black Sea grain export deal would not benefit any parties involved and would lead to a further buildup at ports.
“In such a situation the passage of ships will be delayed and the buildup at ports will intensify,” he said.
“Those in need are already urgently waiting for the grains. In this situation the distress will increase further,” Akar said.
