Kremlin: Putin to Meet Erdogan Next Monday in Sochi

The Kremlin confirmed today, Friday, that Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday at the Russian resort of Sochi on the Black Sea. Two Turkish sources told Reuters on Thursday that the meeting will primarily focus on the grain export agreement via the Black Sea. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres mentioned on Thursday that he sent Russia "a set of specific proposals" aimed at reviving the agreement that allowed for the safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, where Russia controls the maritime corridors. A Russian diplomat, who requested anonymity, told Reuters earlier that Guterres' message to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov "does not contain anything new." Lavrov stated on Thursday, after a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, that Russia does not see any signs of receiving the necessary guarantees to revive the grain agreement. Russia said it would return to the agreement immediately if its requests were met with actions, not promises. One of Moscow's main requests is the return of the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT international payments system, from which the European Union removed the bank in June 2022.