Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed his hope for continued Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea, insisting Russian President Vladimir Putin “agrees” with him on the policy of extending the deal, which expires on July 17. twice.

Erdogan told reporters on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit Turkey next August and that he had already agreed with Putin to extend the work of the agreement to transfer grain across the Black Sea.

The Turkish president said he had spoken with his Russian counterpart, but did not specify when the conversation took place.

The United Nations and Turkey mediated the Black Sea Grain Initiative between Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to help mitigate the impact of a global food crisis that led to a blockade of Ukrainian ports after the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Last year, the agreement allowed the export of about 33 million tons of grain — mainly wheat and corn — from Ukrainian ports, despite the ongoing war.

Required production

Ukraine’s production is considered necessary to prevent rising food prices on the world market, which could lead to food crises in the most vulnerable countries.

In addition to Turkey, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is making efforts to extend the deal, as is the European Union, which organized a meeting on the matter near Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

In response to questions from Russian news agencies, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not confirm Erdogan’s statements, which were reported by official Turkish media, including the Anadolu news agency.

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing Pesco, that Russia has not yet made any statement on extending the agreement to export grain through the Black Sea.