Erdogan to call with Putin on both peace plan and grain deal renewal

Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans a phone call with Vladimir Putin on Monday to push for the resumption of peace talks on Ukraine and a restart of the Black Sea grain deal. The Turkish president stressed that the successful implementation of this agreement could pave the way for a diplomatic solution to the war.

As a NATO member, Turkey is balancing between the two sides of the conflict - supplying arms to Ukraine, but at the same time not joining the sanctions against Moscow. Erdogan has brokered three rounds of talks in the past and is currently calling for a return to the diplomatic table in Istanbul.

The talks come at a time when the West is criticizing the 28-point U.S. proposal for alleged concessions to Russia. Erdogan has not commented on the proposal, but plans to share the outcomes of the talks with European Union and U.S. leaders.

The 2022 Black Sea deal, brokered by Turkey and the UN, allowed for the export of 33 million tonnes of grain. Russia withdrew from it in 2023, complaining of restrictions on its own exports.

(reuters, max)