The time, place and date of the upcoming meeting between the Turkish and Russian presidents will be coordinated via diplomatic channels, the Kremlin said Thursday.
The statement came a day after Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s office said the two leaders had agreed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin would visit Türkiye. No timetable was provided but a senior Turkish official said discussions between Ankara and Moscow are ongoing for a visit in late August.
Erdoğan himself earlier said the trip could occur as soon as this month.
"In general, the presidents confirmed their intention to meet soon” during a Wednesday phone call, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.
"But the venue of the meeting and the timing of this meeting will continue to be agreed through diplomatic channels."
Erdoğan said last month he hoped Putin's planned visit could lead to the restoration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative that allowed for the safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments via its Black Sea ports, and called on Western countries to consider Russia's demands.
Moscow withdrew from the accord on July 17, accusing the West of hampering its own grain and fertilizer exports, and has since attacked Ukrainian agricultural and port infrastructure. It has repeatedly said that it was ready to return to the deal once an accompanying agreement concerning Russia was implemented.
Türkiye has positioned itself as an intermediary in the conflict and Erdoğan was a key player in brokering the grain deal in July 2022 alongside the United Nations.
In talks with Putin on Wednesday, Erdoğan emphasized the importance of avoiding steps that could jeopardize the resumption of the wartime accord that he described as a “bridge of peace,” the Presidency said in a statement.
Moscow exited the deal complaining that the international community had failed to ensure that Russia could also freely export its grain and fertilizer.
Russia's grain and fertilizer exports are not subject to Western sanctions imposed on Moscow over its military actions in Ukraine. But Moscow has said restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have been a barrier to shipments.
Meanwhile, Peskov also decried remarks by top EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell, who on Wednesday accused Russia of trying to create dependence on its grain among developing countries.
"This is absolutely not the case. Russia has always been and remains – with known problems – a reliable supplier ... Russia fulfills all its obligations," he stressed.
He said Russia could more fully satisfy the growing demand for grain "if it were not for the sanctions, restrictions” on its exports, which he called "illegal from the point of view of international law.”
