Erdogan confident deal on Ukrainian grain will be extended

(Patria) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed confidence on Friday in the prospects for extending the deal that allows Ukraine to export its grain and alleviate the global food crisis.

"We are preparing to welcome Putin in August and are negotiating the expansion of the Black Sea grain corridor," Erdogan said, AFP reported.

Erdogan said he had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the key deal that expires on Monday, although he did not say when the conversation took place.

When asked by Russian news agencies, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov neither confirmed nor denied Erdogan's statement.

"There is no statement on this from the Russian side," he said.

The Black Sea grain deal was first signed in July 2022, five months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and has been renewed twice already. This time, however, Putin has repeatedly threatened not to renew it due to obstacles to Russia's own exports.

Earlier on Friday, speaking in Jakarta, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Russia to extend the deal, warning that the most vulnerable countries would suffer without it.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent a letter to Putin this week about extending the deal. He supports removing obstacles to Russia exporting its fertilizers - another element that Moscow has complained is not being respected.

Erdogan said he hoped "that with this letter, through our joint efforts and Russia's efforts, we will ensure the expansion of the grain corridor".

"Discussions are underway," said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres's spokesman.

"WhatsApp messages are being sent, Signal messages are being sent and exchanged," he added.

Putin said on Thursday that none of Moscow's conditions for the deal to function had been met.

"I want to emphasize that nothing has been done, absolutely nothing. Everything is unilateral," Putin said.

"We will think about what to do, we still have a few days," he added.

The deal has allowed Ukraine to ship more than 32 million tons of grain past Russian warships in the Black Sea. A large portion of the grain has gone to feed people in developing countries in Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere. If exports were blocked again, food prices could rise even more than they are now.