Russian President Vladimir Putin said Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan had proposed resuming contacts on Black Sea shipping, but had not yet had time to review the documents submitted. “Erdogan renewed these proposals to maintain contacts on Black Sea shipping and other issues,” Putin told Russian state television.
Putin and Erdogan met recently at the BRICS summit held in the Russian city of Kazan. During the event, Putin also met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who has been a mediator in trying to resolve the issue of navigation security in the Black Sea.
“To be honest, I didn’t even have time to read the materials that our Turkish partners and friends provided us,” Putin said. “Well, let’s see. We have never refused such dialogues.”
The Black Sea Grain Agreement and the Role of the UN and Turkey
In July 2022, Turkey and the United Nations helped broker the Black Sea Grain Initiative, allowing the safe export of nearly 33 million tons of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea. However, Russia withdrew from the agreement in July 2023, claiming that its own food and fertilizer exports continued to face significant restrictions.
Since then, Turkey and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres have been working to facilitate the navigation of merchant ships in the Black Sea. The region has been partly turned into a war zone since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Black Sea dispute has become a sore point in relations between Russia, Ukraine and their respective allies.
Russia controls part of Ukrainian territory and Putin reiterates positions
With Moscow controlling approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, about 80% of Donbass (Donetsk and Luhansk regions) and large parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, Russia's superiority in men and equipment is evident. Ukraine, for its part, continues to request more military support from its Western allies.
When asked about the possibility of the conflict turning into a “frozen conflict” similar to those in Korea or Cyprus, Putin was blunt. He said: “Any outcome must be favorable to Russia. I speak bluntly, without any hesitation. This outcome must be based on the realities that are developing on the battlefield.”
Putin stressed that Russia is not willing to compromise on territorial issues, saying: “We will not make any concessions, there will be no trade-offs. We are ready to be reasonable, but I do not want to go into details now, as there are no substantive negotiations.”
Putin concluded by mentioning that Ukraine has already rejected two ceasefire initiatives proposed by Russia, while Russian forces continue to advance on the battlefield.
Source: Anastasia Teterevleva and Guy Faulconbridge | Notícias Agrícolas
