Putin, Erdogan held phone call, discussed grain deal

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan, the Kremlin said on Saturday.

Erdogan thanked Putin for his “positive attitude” in extending the Black Sea grain deal and expressed his “understanding of the Russian side’s principled position to achieve the full implementation of the second part of the agreement, removing barriers for Russia’s agricultural products,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

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Russia laid out conditions on Monday for agreeing to any further extension of the Black Sea grain deal, and Putin said that Moscow could send free grain to African countries if those conditions were not met.

Putin and Ergodan “expressed satisfaction with the positive dynamics of trade and economic relations, the successful implementation of joint strategic projects in the energy sector, including gas supplies and the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant in Turkey,” the Kremlin said.

They also discussed the normalisation of Turkish-Syrian relations, it said.