Moscow, September 4, Negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ended in Sochi.
At a press conference following the meeting, the Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that the interlocutors paid much attention to the situation in Ukraine and the termination of the grain deal.
As Putin emphasised, Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea initiative did not have an impact on the world market: prices are falling and there is no shortage of food.
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“There are problems with its fair distribution. Yes, but this has nothing to do with the so-called grain deal,” the head of state added.
He recalled that Kiev used humanitarian corridors for terrorist attacks on civilian targets, while Russia clearly provided guarantees for the safety of navigation. At the same time, the West deceived Moscow about humanitarian purposes; of the 32.8 million tonnes of cargo exported from Ukraine, more than 70 percent went to wealthy countries, the president added.
Erdogan, in turn, noted that he considers Russia’s expectations fair. And that the remark about the need to send food to the poorest countries is correct.
Putin emphasised that the Russian side will immediately revive this agreement. As soon as the promises given to it are fulfilled.
Speaking about the conflict in Ukraine, the Turkish President expressed his readiness to become a mediator between the parties.
In response, Putin recalled that Kyiv “sent the agreements reached through the mediation of Erdogan to the scrapheap.”
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“No one is returning to this. We hear about some new initiatives, but this is not something that has ever been discussed with us. Therefore, we do not accept anything new,” the head of state added.
He stated that the so-called Ukrainian counteroffensive has not stalled but has completely failed. The President expressed hope that. This will be the case in the future and recalled that Moscow has never refused and does not refuse negotiations.
The first personal meeting between Putin and Erdogan in almost a year lasted about three hours. At first, the delegations communicated in large groups, and then the leaders continued negotiations over lunch.
