Putin soon visit the Turkey to explore new Black Sea grain export plans for Ukraine

• The meeting will focus on developing a new method to facilitate Ukrainian grain.
• Putin is expected to arrive on February 12.
• Turkey played a key role in brokering the accords through the United Nations.

Late on Sunday, the Turkish foreign minister announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin will soon visit Turkey. This would mark Putin’s first trip to a NATO country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan informed the A Haber private TV channel that the meeting between Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will concentrate on devising a new method to facilitate Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea.

Although he did not specify a date for the visit, Turkish media has reported that Putin is expected to arrive on Feb. 12.

Last year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Putin for the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia, significantly restricting his ability to travel abroad. Putin can visit Turkiye without fear of arrest since neither Turkiye nor Russia is a party to the court.

Turkiye, aiming to foster positive relations with both Russia and Ukraine, its Black Sea neighbors, has refrained from participating in Western sanctions against Moscow. Despite this, Turkiye has expressed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and supplied arms to Kyiv.

“The previous grain deal worked within a certain mechanism. Now, there is a possibility of going with a different mechanism,” Fidan said, referring to the previous deal that lasted a year before Russia withdrew in July.

At the time, Russia announced the suspension of the deal until meeting demands to facilitate the global distribution of Russian food and fertilizer.

Turkiye played a key role in brokering the accords through the United Nations to ensure safe passage from Ukrainian ports. Fidan stated that Erdogan would also engage in discussions with Putin concerning security in Syria and cooperation in the energy sector.

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