The talks between the Russian foreign minister and his Turkish counterpart are intended to strengthen the familiar character of relations. Another topic is the end of the grain agreement.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan exchanged views on food security issues a week before the expiry of the agreement on shipping Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea. During the call, Lavrov said the West was unable to meet Russia’s demands for an extension of the agreement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in Moscow on Sunday.
The grain agreement, which was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in summer 2022, is scheduled to expire on July 17. Russia complains that its conditions for a continuation have not been met. This includes, for example, removing sanctions that prevent Russia from exporting grain and fertilizers.
The agreement ended a month-long Russian naval blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports. The United Nations urged all parties to extend the agreement to ensure global food security.
Close cooperation despite irritations
According to the ministry in Moscow, the talks also dealt with the controversial surrender of Ukrainian commanders of the Azov regiment who had been released from Russian captivity – on condition that they would not return to their homeland and take part in the fighting. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj personally picked them up in a plane during a visit to Turkey and then gave them a big public reception on Saturday in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv (formerly Lemberg). Zelenskyy celebrated the return of national heroes as a triumph.
According to Russian sources, despite irritation in Moscow over the return of the Azov commanders, the ministers reiterated the need for close cooperation. The familiar character of relations between Moscow and Ankara should be strengthened, it said. At the same time, during the talks that Turkey initiated, Lavrov pointed out the “destructive course of continuing to supply military technology to the Kiev regime.” Russia accuses the West of increasing its use of new weapons in the war. The Russian invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Source: Stern
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