No prospect of peace in Ukraine, Erdogan says after talks with Putin

He told reporters after a visit to Sochi and a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, CNN Turk reports.

According to Erdogan, Turkey's position on the war in Ukraine is unequivocal: "From day one, we have always stood for peace, dialogue and diplomacy."

"We have made great efforts to prevent further bloodshed. We did not add fuel to the fire, we tried to get both sides to meet. Unfortunately, the war, which has been going on for 1.5 years, is still ongoing. There is no hopeful prospect of peace on the horizon," the Turkish president said.

He noted that Turkey is also ready to contribute to peace talks and will continue its role as a mediator "in issues such as the exchange of prisoners and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant".

Here's what we know about the Erdogan-Putin meeting

On July 16, the last ship loaded with Ukrainian agricultural products under the initiative left the port of Odesa.

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 despite Russia's withdrawal from the agreement.

On August 2, the United States said it had information that Russia was interested in resuming negotiations on the agreement, which ensured safe Black Sea grain exports.

Erdogan also announced an agreement with Putin on a visit to Turkey to discuss the extension of the grain deal.

On August 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his intention to resume the grain deal with an “expanded scope” and called on Western countries to “fulfill their promises”.

Ihor Semivolos, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, suggested on Espreso TV that the outcome of the Erdogan-Putin meeting could potentially lead to Russia's return to the "grain agreement."

By August 20, Turkey was actively working on reinstating the export of agricultural products from Ukraine. The termination of the "grain agreement" had already caused a 15% increase in global grain prices.

On August 29, Erdogan's party confirmed his upcoming meeting with Putin in Sochi.

On August 31, just before the Erdogan-Putin meeting, the foreign affairs heads of Turkey and Russia met in Moscow to discuss the "grain agreement" and efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.

On September 3, it was revealed that one of the topics of discussion between Erdogan and Putin will be the exchange of prisoners.

On September 4, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a one-day working visit to Sochi to meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Putin set conditions for Russia's return to the grain deal.