The Turkish president Tayyip Erdoan said that he will have a telephone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the peace efforts in Ukraine. He added that he will also ask him for a restart of a deal to ensure the safe passage grain via the Black Sea.

NATO member Turkey maintained friendly relations with Kyiv and Moscow throughout the war. It provided military assistance to Ukraine, but refused to join Western sanctions against Moscow. The Turkish government has hosted three rounds in Istanbul of peace talks and offered to host an international leaders' summit.

Erdogan, speaking at a Sunday press conference after the G20 summit held in South Africa said that the Black Sea grain agreement of 2022, which was mediated by Turkey and United Nations, was meant to pave the way for a peaceful solution of the conflict in Ukraine.

"We succeeded in this until a certain point, but it didn't continue afterwards. In the discussion we will have on tomorrow, I'll ask again about this. "I think that it would be very helpful if we could start this process," said he.

He said that during the conversation with Putin, he will also discuss ways to "end deaths". He will then share the results of the conversation with European and U.S. officials and allies.

Erdogan didn't comment on Washington’s 28-point plan to end war. Kyiv, along with European allies, has expressed alarm at what it sees as major concessions made to aggressor Russia as officials gather in Geneva to discuss the issue.

In July 2022, the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI) was signed to enable the export of 33 million metric tonnes of Ukrainian grain safely via the Black Sea despite the conflict.

In 2023, Russia resigned from the agreement after complaining about serious obstacles to its food and fertilizer exports. The Russian government has also complained about restrictions on payments and logistics, as well as insurance.

Erdogan's office reported that he hosted the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeleenskiy at Ankara last week and discussed the war with France and Italy on Sunday.

He said that all diplomatic efforts should be used to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. The resumption in Istanbul of the talks could assist in this effort. (Reporting and editing by Elaine Hardcastle, Ros Russell, and Tuvan Gumrukcu)

(source: Reuters)