Erdogan urges G20 leaders to meet Russia's grain deal demands

Bloomberg reports this with reference to three Turkish officials familiar with the negotiations.

According to Turkish officials, Erdogan is trying to hold private meetings with leaders during the G20 summit in New Delhi this weekend.

"While Turkey’s efforts aren’t likely to sway Ukraine’s allies in the US and Europe, Erdogan’s embrace of Russia’s demands underlines the challenges he faces in his balancing act in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine," the publication notes. 

It is noted that Turkey is asking world leaders to facilitate insurance of Russian food and fertilizer exports and to restore Moscow's connection to the SWIFT system for international payments.

"Turkey is telling its counterparts that the way to revive the deal is to ease some sanctions, which Moscow claims prevent it from importing agricultural equipment such as tractors or spare parts, the Turkish officials said," Bloomberg writes. 

Russia's termination of the grain deal

On July 17, Russia announced the termination of the grain deal. In response, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that it was necessary to continue using the grain corridor even despite Russia's withdrawal from the agreement.

On August 4, Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov said that Ukraine would send ships with its own grain to wherever it deems necessary and would not ask anyone for permission.

On August 12, Ukraine opened registration of merchant ships and their owners who are ready to use temporary routes to Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea.

On August 16, the first vessel left the port of Odesa after Russia announced that it will terminate the grain deal on July 16, 2023.

On August 25, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. The politicians discussed, among other things, the grain deal. Fidan stated that Ankara sees "no alternative" to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the original grain deal that Ukraine and Russia concluded with the mediation of the UN and Turkey.

On September 4, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, expressed hope that an agreement on the Black Sea Grain Initiative would be reached in a short time.

Ukraine's Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar said that Ukraine had submitted a proposal to Turkey to continue the grain corridor without Russia's participation, but had not yet received a final response.