Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday told his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that he needed “real assurances” that Kyiv was complying with an agreement on the export of Ukrainian grains, in which Russia has suspended participation.
In a telephone conversation with Erdogan, the Russian leader considered it “necessary” to receive from Kyiv “real guarantees of strict observance of the Istanbul agreements, in particular, that the humanitarian corridor will not be used for military purposes,” the Kremlin said in a statement. statement.
“Only after that we will be able to analyze the resumption of work” within the framework of the grain agreement, he stressed.
Also on Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed a grain export deal during a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, the second in 48 hours, according to a Russian army statement.
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This agreement, signed in July under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and Turkey, allowed the export of millions of tons of grain that had been in Ukrainian ports since the start of the Russian offensive in late February.
However, on Saturday, Russia came to accuse Ukraine of attacking its fleet in the Sevastopol Bay, annexed to Crimea, with air and underwater drones, using a humanitarian corridor created for the export of grain. Moscow assured that this operation was planned with the support of British specialists.
Ukraine, in turn, condemned that it was a “false pretext” for suspending the grain deal, while London denied any involvement in the attack.
