Putin likely to visit Turkiye this August – Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin could visit Türkiye this month.

“The date has not been set yet,” he told reporters in a live broadcast on Turkish television after attending a religious event in Istanbul.

“My foreign minister and head of intelligence are holding talks. Within the framework of these talks, I hope that this visit will take place in August,” he added.

Türkiye, which has good relations with both Kiev and Moscow, is working to resurrect a deal that aims to facilitate the export of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports and the export of Russian food and fertilizers.

Russia and Ukraine signed separately with Türkiye and the United Nations the Black Sea Grain Initiative in Istanbul in July 2022. The deal collapsed last month after Russia said its demands were not met and withdrew from the agreement.

Erdogan said Türkiye and Russia agreed that the grain should be transferred to the countries in need, without elaborating further.

“We will convert the grain through the Black Sea corridor into flour, and we will transport them as flour to poor, underdeveloped African countries,” he added.