MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Russia was "open" to talks on restoring the landmark Black Sea grain export deal. The UN and Turkey-brokered deal, which aimed to ensure safe navigation for civilian ships through the Black Sea, collapsed after Russia pulled out in July. Putin met his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, amid hopes the two could restore the deal, with Erdogan promising he would make a "very important" announcement on grain exports after the talks. "I know you intend to raise the issue of the grain deal. We are open to negotiations on this issue," Putin said in televised comments alongside Erdogan. Erdogan said the grain deal was the headline issue at the daylong talks between the two leaders in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the Russian president has a residence. "Everyone is looking at the grain corridor issue," Erdogan said in opening remarks. Putin acknowledged that "issues related to the Ukraine crisis" would be discussed between them. Russia broke off the deal, complaining that a parallel deal promising to remove obstacles to Russian exports of food and fertiliser hadn't been honored. It said restrictions on shipping and insurance hampered its agricultural trade even though it has shipped record amounts of wheat since last year. A lot is riding on the talks for the world food supply. "I believe that the message we will give after our meeting will constitute an important step for the world, especially for the underdeveloped African countries," Erdogan said. Counteroffensive Since Putin withdrew from the grain initiative, Erdogan has repeatedly pledged to renew arrangements that helped avoid a food crisis in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. The meeting took place against a backdrop of Ukraine's recent counteroffensive against the Kremlin's forces. Opening the talks, Putin mentioned various areas of bilateral cooperation, such as a proposed Russian gas hub in Turkey and the construction of the first nuclear power plant there, in which Moscow is actively involved. NATO member Turkey, however, has also supported Ukraine, sending arms, meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and backing Kyiv's bid to join NATO. Erdogan angered Moscow in July when he allowed five Ukrainian commanders to return home. The soldiers had been captured by Russia and handed over to Turkey on condition they remained there for the duration of the war. Putin and Erdogan are said to have a close rapport, fostered in the wake of a failed coup against Erdogan in 2016 when Putin was the first major leader to offer his support. The Sochi summit follows talks between the Russian and Turkish foreign ministers on Thursday, during which Russia handed over a list of actions that the West would have to take in order for Ukraine's Black Sea exports to resume. Erdogan has indicated sympathy with Putin's position. In July, he said Putin had "certain expectations from Western countries" over the Black Sea deal and that it was "crucial for these countries to take action in this regard." UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently sent Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov "concrete proposals" aimed at getting Russian exports to global markets and allowing the resumption of the Black Sea initiative. But Lavrov said Moscow wasn't satisfied with the letter. Describing Turkey's "intense" efforts to revive the agreement, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said it was a "process that tries to better understand Russia's position and requests, and to meet them."
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