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| Grain deal awaits talks between Russian, Turkish leaders. (Source: A News) |
In that context, negotiations between Russian President Valdimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan are seen as the only hope.
Speaking to reporters after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul last weekend, Erdogan said Ankara hoped the agreement would be extended at least every three months and hoped to extend the mechanism for two years.
The Turkish president expressed his desire to discuss the grain deal with Mr Putin by phone or in person, and hoped the Russian leader would visit Ankara next month.
However, according to Sputnik , a Kremlin spokesman said that a meeting or phone call between President Putin and his counterpart Erdogan has not yet been scheduled.
In July 2022, the United Nations (UN) and Turkey brokered an agreement called the Black Sea Grain Initiative to help address the worsening global food crisis caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine - the world's two leading grain exporters.
Within the framework of the initiative, Moscow and the UN signed a memorandum on facilitating the supply of Russian agricultural products and fertilizers to world markets, while Kiev signed an agreement with Turkey and the UN on the safe export of food and fertilizers from Ukraine across the Black Sea.
The agreement has been extended three times and according to the most recent extension on May 18, the agreement will expire on July 17.
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