Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday that he wanted “real guarantees” that Kiev will respect the agreement on Ukraine’s grain exports, in which Russia has suspended its participation.
In a telephone conversation with Erdogan, the Russian leader deemed it “necessary” to obtain from Kiev “real guarantees of strict compliance with the Istanbul agreements, in particular that the humanitarian corridor will not be used for military purposes,” the Kremlin said in a statement. declaration. pronunciation.
“Only then will we be able to analyze the resumption of work” in the context of the grain agreement, he emphasized.
Also on Tuesday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu discussed the grain export agreement in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, the second in 48 hours, according to a statement from the Russian military.
This one agreement, signed in July under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) and Turkey, allowed the export of millions of tons of grain stored in Ukrainian ports since the start of the Russian offensive in late February.
However, on Saturday, Russia charged that Ukraine hit its fleet in the Bay of Sevastopol, annexed to Crimea, with aerial drones and submarines, using the humanitarian corridor created for grain exports. Moscow assured that this operation was planned with the support of British experts.
Ukraine, in turn, denounced this as a “false pretext” for the suspension of the grain deal, while London denied any participation in the attack.
Source: DN
