The President of Turkey, Recep Erdogan, had a telephone conversation with the President of the Russian Federation, Putin.
According to the administration of the Turkish leader, Erdogan and Putin discussed Russiaʼs war against Ukraine and the creation of safe corridors for the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. The Turkish side believes that the time has come to create a corridor according to the UN plan.
Separately, Erdogan said that the war between Ukraine and Russia should be ended through negotiations. Turkey is ready to contribute to the intensification of the negotiation process.
Statement of the Russian Federation
The Kremlin said that the leaders will soon discuss a number of issues at the meeting, including increasing trade volumes and continuing uninterrupted supplies of Russian energy.
Regarding Ukraine, Putin limited himself to only one sentence: "The exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine continued, including in the context of coordinating efforts to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the export of grain to world markets."
- Since the beginning of the invasion, Russian troops have been blocking exports from Ukrainian ports, as a result of which products have to be exported by rail and road. Western partners are still proposing to build granaries near the border, to negotiate with Russia, but they are not ready for military unblocking or facilitating this in the form of "corridors".
- Meanwhile, the Russian Federation continues to rob Ukrainian grain, exporting it to Russia, Syria and Turkey, as indicated by numerous journalistic investigations.