Türkiye's Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçapar and his Russian counterpart Sergei Vershinin discussed the Black Sea Grain Initiative on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
According to the ministry, the conversation was initiated by Türkiye and "special attention was paid to the implementation of the 'Black Sea initiative' on the export of Ukrainian food."
Earlier on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said Russia was set to withdraw from the deal, as he argued that none of Moscow's demands had been met.
Putin, in comments to Russian state television, also said the United Nations had so far failed to come up with a satisfactory solution to the issue and he denied having received any letter containing proposals from the U.N. secretary-general.
"We can suspend our participation in the deal, and if everyone once again says that all the promises made to us will be fulfilled, then let them fulfill this promise. We will immediately rejoin this deal," Putin said.
A Kremlin spokesperson later clarified that Russia had not taken a final decision on whether to exit the grain deal.
Also on Wednesday, Vershinin held a phone call with top U.N. trade official Rebeca Grynspan.
"The sides exchanged views on the implementation of the Istanbul Package Agreements of July 22, 2022 in the context of global food security challenges."
The United Nations and Türkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help alleviate a global food crisis that worsened after Moscow sent forces into Ukraine and blockaded Ukrainian ports.
To convince Putin to agree to the deal, U.N. officials also agreed to help Russia get its food and fertilizer exports to foreign markets – something Moscow says they failed to do.
While Russian exports of food and fertilizer are not subject to Western sanctions imposed over Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance have become a barrier to shipments for Moscow.
Türkiye, a NATO member, has managed to retain cordial relations with Russia and Ukraine over the past 16 months of the war, and last year, it helped broker prisoner exchanges.
Ankara is a neutral mediator and has not joined its Western allies in imposing economic sanctions on Russia. It has supplied drones to Ukraine that helped keep Kremlin forces from seizing Kyiv in the first weeks of war and called for its sovereignty to be respected.
