Russia weighs Türkiye's peace initiative with Ukraine, grain deal revival

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Russia is actively studying Türkiye's initiative to organise peace talks with Ukraine and revive the grain export agreement.

In an interview with Russian state news agency RIA, Lavrov commended Türkiye's overall efforts, particularly President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s personal role in seeking a resolution to the Ukraine conflict.

Lavrov recalled that Türkiye had previously facilitated the drafting of the only peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine, as well as agreements that enabled Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, later known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

"These agreements were later rejected or unimplemented by Kiev," he noted. "The Ukrainian side declined to finalise the draft peace treaty, and they exploited the Black Sea corridor to conduct attacks and provocations against Russian vessels and coastal infrastructure."

Lavrov also pointed out that Russia's part of the deal, which aimed to normalise access to global markets for its agricultural products and fertilisers, has yet to be fulfilled.

Further discussions on Black Sea navigation

"President Vladimir Putin affirmed during his meeting with President Erdogan on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Kazan that Russia is open to continuing discussions on Black Sea navigation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed similar views, and all proposals are now under review by the relevant authorities," he said.

Türkiye first hosted a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers in the Mediterranean city of Antalya in March 2022.

Those efforts led to the landmark Türkiye-mediated Black Sea grain deal in 2022, but Moscow did not extend the agreement after July 2023, citing restrictions on Russian grain exports.