Kremlin: Putin, Erdogan to discuss Ukrainian grain exports on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the export of Ukrainian grain at their meeting in Tehran on Tuesday, a Kremlin aide has told reporters.

Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations are expected to sign a deal later this week aimed at resuming the shipping of grain from Ukraine across the Black Sea, which has been all but choked off by Russia’s decision last February to send its armed forces into Ukraine.

Putin and Erdogan will also be joined by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Tuesday, to discuss the crisis in Syria, where all have military involvement.

“The issue of Ukrainian grain shipment will be discussed with Erdogan … We are ready to continue work on this track,” Yuriy Ushakov, foreign policy adviser to Putin, said on Monday.

Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, until now the main conduit for its agricultural exports, have been blocked since Russia began what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine.

Ukraine and Russia are both major suppliers of wheat to global markets. Russia is also a large fertilizer exporter, while Ukraine is also a significant producer and exporter of corn and sunflower oil.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)