Putin welcomed the Turkish president to the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, thanking him for helping to secure an international deal that restores Ukraine’s grain exports disrupted by the Kremlin’s war machine – as well as Russian food and fertilizers – in global markets. The deal ended a standoff that had threatened a global food crisis, as Ukraine and Russia are some of the world’s biggest grain exporters. Another three ships carrying nearly 60,000 tonnes of grain between them left Ukrainian Black Sea ports on Friday and are headed for Britain, Ireland and Turkey respectively. “This is a very pressing problem for many countries, first and foremost, developing countries that are on the brink of major problems with food and fertilizer supplies. Decisions made with your direct participation are very important for all these countries,” Putin told Erdogan as their closed-door meetings began. However, reports warn that the meeting may serve an ulterior motive. A Ukrainian government report described by the Washington Post said Putin would seek Russian stakes in Turkish refineries, terminals and oil tanks in order to disguise the origin of Russian oil exports in the face of a planned EU oil embargo. The paper also said that Russia could seek correspondent accounts for major Russian banks to circumvent financial sanctions. The Russian government did not confirm the report and there was no indication that Turkey would accept the proposals, which would put the NATO member at significant risk of secondary sanctions. At least publicly, economic cooperation led the agenda of the talks. Putin noted that the TurkStream pipeline continued to operate “smoothly … unlike any other route that supplies our hydrocarbons.” Erdogan unveiled plans to build a nuclear power plant with Russian help. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST However, tensions between the two countries and their leaders remain significant. Turkey is a member of NATO, has sold advanced weapons such as Bayraktar drones to Ukraine and is at odds with Russia over the future of Syria, where the Kremlin has backed Bashar al-Assad while Turkey seeks to gain influence in the north of the country. There were other signs that the two leaders planned to discuss more than their economic agenda. Before the meeting began, Russian journalists noted that Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader who has sent forces under his command to both Syria and Ukraine, was present. The two men are expected to talk behind closed doors over a late lunch. They are not expected to issue a joint statement after the summit. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak is expected to address the press after the Summit.
