Turkish President Consults on Extension of Black Sea Grain Deal

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, announced on Saturday, July 8, that he will engage in consultations with Russia regarding the extension of the Black Sea grain deal for at least three more months, following the announcement of Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Turkey in August. According to Reuters, Erdogan made this statement during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after their meeting to discuss the fate of the agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations last year. Zelensky's trip to Turkey is part of his visit to several NATO capitals aimed at encouraging them to take concrete steps towards granting Kyiv membership in the alliance at the upcoming summit next week. Erdogan stated at the joint press conference that 'Ukraine deserves NATO membership.' The Turkish President also mentioned that work on extending the Black Sea grain deal beyond its expiration date of July 17 is 'ongoing.' He indicated that this agreement will be one of the key topics on his agenda during his meeting with Putin next month in Turkey. The two leaders also announced that they discussed the issue of prisoner exchanges. Zelensky noted that this topic was the first item on their agenda and that he would wait for results before commenting, but he emphasized that the discussions included details about the return of all prisoners, including exiled children to Russia and other groups. The Kremlin stated that it would closely monitor these discussions and noted that Putin appreciated Erdogan's mediation efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Russia, dissatisfied with the implementation of the 'grain deal,' has threatened not to allow further extensions of the agreement after July 17. Turkey, a NATO member, has managed to maintain 'friendly relations' with both Russia and Ukraine over the past 16 months of the war and has also assisted in prisoner exchanges last year. Although Turkey did not align with its Western allies in imposing economic sanctions on Russia, it has supplied weapons to Ukraine and called for respect for Ukraine's sovereignty. Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on July 22, 2022, to reopen Ukrainian Black Sea ports for grain exports, aimed at alleviating the global food crisis exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Both Russia and Ukraine are among the world's largest food exporters. The signing ceremony, held in Istanbul, Turkey, was attended by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The blockade of Ukrainian ports by the Russian fleet has worsened the existing disruption in the global food supply chain and, along with Western sanctions against Moscow, has contributed to inflation in food and energy prices since Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The UN has stated that the grain shortages caused by the Russia-Ukraine war continue to expand the hunger crisis. The resumption of Ukrainian grain transit has seen five EU countries reach an agreement. Russia has once again threatened to cancel the grain export agreement. The G7 has called for the extension of the grain export agreement from Ukraine. The extension of the grain export agreement from Ukraine has been stated by Russia to be valid for 'only 60 days.' The UN has supported a 120-day extension of the grain export agreement from Ukraine.