Shortly before the G20 summit, Erdogan wanted to visit his counterpart Putin in the Russian city of Sochi. Especially regarding the wheat deal. Critical voices came from Ukraine.
Moscow/Ankara – A meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has been part of the plans of Ankara and Moscow for several weeks. But so far no date has been set and there is still uncertainty over where the meeting will be held. Now the details are more concrete.
Erdogan will meet Putin in Sochi: the date has now been set
Turkish sources told the Bloomberg news agency that Erdogan will most likely travel to Russia ahead of the G20 summit in India and meet Putin on Sept. 8. The G20 summit in New Delhi starts the next day and runs until September 10. According to Turkish officials, the meeting between Erdogan and Putin will discuss the possible continuation of the wheat deal. Russia withdrew from the agreement in July, accusing the West of not fulfilling its promises.
The spokesman for the AK Party, Turkey’s ruling party, Ömer Celik, confirmed Erdogan’s visit. “Our President Erdogan will soon leave for Sochi, there may be developments in the wheat deal,” he said in a press conference, Monday (28 August). Celik praised Erdogan’s efforts to avert a global food crisis. Erdogan, who helped negotiate the grain deal, views the deal as a major diplomatic achievement for Turkey.
Ukrainian diplomat Podoljak is angry at Erdogan’s government: “You can’t behave like that”
So far, Turkey has opposed any alternative to a grain deal that does not involve Russia. Last had it Rumors of a deal between Russia, Türkiye and Qatar given. Ankara is determined to ensure that Russia’s interests are protected, given its role as a mediator in the Black Sea. Smooth processing can only be guaranteed if Russia is also involved. This led to criticism in Ukraine.
Last Saturday, the adviser to the president of Ukraine, Mikhailo Podoliak, spoke harshly about Turkey. He criticized Türkiye for seeking talks with Russia. “You can’t be like that,” he said, according to the Unian news agency, adding: “You can’t keep saying you want to make a deal with Putin.” After all, Russia has embarrassed Turkey, which is seen as an irresponsible country. a powerful Black Sea country – obviously referring to the search for the Turkish freighter Sükrü Okan.
“Why are you still going to Sochi to talk to Putin about extending the grain agreement?” Podoliak asked the Turkish government. From now on, the grain agreement “has nothing to do with Russia anymore”. Therefore, Turkey must not allow itself to be constantly humiliated by Russia. The only country currently showing determination in the Black Sea is Ukraine, adviser Zelensky said, citing Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian targets. (bb)
