ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he would have a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss peace efforts in Ukraine, adding that he would also ask him to restart a deal for the safe passage of grains via the Black Sea.
NATO member Turkey has maintained cordial ties with both Kyiv and Moscow during the war, providing military help to Ukraine but refusing to join Western sanctions on Moscow. It has hosted three rounds of peace talks between the warring parties in Istanbul and offered to host a leaders’ meeting.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday after a G20 summit in South Africa, Erdogan said the 2022 Black Sea grain deal, brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, aimed to pave the path for a peaceful resolution of the war in Ukraine.
“We were able to succeed in this up to a certain point and it did not continue after. Now, during the discussions we will have tomorrow, I will again ask Mr. Putin about this. I think it would be very beneficial if we can start this process,” he said.
He added that he would also discuss how to “end the deaths” during the call, and that he would share with European and U.S. leaders and allies the outcomes of his conversation with Putin.
Erdogan did not comment directly on Washington’s 28-point draft plan to end the war. Kyiv and European allies have voiced alarm over what they see as major concessions to the aggressor Russia, as officials meet in Geneva to discuss it.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative was inked in July 2022 to allow the safe export of nearly 33 million metric tons of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, despite the war.
Russia withdrew from the agreement in 2023, complaining that its own food and fertiliser exports faced serious obstacles. It has also complained of restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance as a barrier to shipments.
Last week, Erdogan hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Ankara, and on Sunday discussed the war in Ukraine with the leaders of France and Italy, according to his office.
He called for all diplomatic efforts to be utilised to reach a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine, saying the resumption of talks in Istanbul could help this effort.
(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Ros Russell)
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