Erdogan: Russia Expects West to Take Steps on Grain Agreement

Erdogan also announced his intention to discuss the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Vladimir Putin. Russia expects the West to take steps regarding the grain agreement, and Western countries should pay attention to it. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this on 21 July, Anadolu reports. “Russian President Vladimir Putin has expectations about Western countries regarding the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Western countries should take measures concerning Putin's expectations,” he said. Erdogan also announced his intention to discuss the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Putin and assured that Turkey would use all diplomatic tools to resume the agreement implementation. “I believe we will guarantee the continuation of humanitarian initiatives,” he said. The Turkish President added that the (Istanbul) agreement termination could have negative consequences, but Ankara was ready to make efforts to prevent this. After withdrawing from the grain agreement, Russia announced a de facto naval blockade of Ukrainian ports and declared risks for ships. The Russians also attacked the ports involved in the grain agreement.