The presidents of Russia and Turkey spoke by telephone about the prospect of a Black Sea agreement, which was negotiated on Monday in Riyadh, the Kremlin (Russian presidency) announced today.
Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged "views on the resumption of the Black Sea initiative", the Kremlin press service said in a statement quoted by the French news agency AFP.
Russia demanded the lifting of Western sanctions affecting its agricultural exports in order to resume the 2022 grain deal, reached under Turkish and UN mediation.
Moscow walked out a year later, claiming that the West had not honored its commitment to guarantee the export of its fertilizers and agricultural products, despite sanctions for invading Ukraine.
According to the Russian news agency TASS, Putin and Erdogan also discussed projects in the energy sector, the results of recent consultations by Russian and US expert groups in Riyadh, and the situation in Syria.
Erdogan "expressed his support for the Russian-American dialogue and the readiness of the Turkish side to facilitate the advancement of the agreement on the Black Sea", the Kremlin said.
Putin and Erdogan also noted "with satisfaction" the positive dynamics of bilateral relations and the growth of mutual trade.
Regarding Syria, they agreed on the importance of "ensuring the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity" of the country, according to the statement cited by TASS.
They spoke about the need to "provide all possible assistance to the authorities and people" of Syria to strengthen internal political stability.
The two leaders also argued that "the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic and religious groups of the population" must be respected.
Russia, along with Iran, was the main supporter of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December 2024 following an offensive by rebel forces led by the Shiite group Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS).
On March 6, clashes broke out between the security forces of the country's transitional government and local armed groups, killing many members of the Alawite minority, to which the Assad clan belongs.
Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia, which granted him political asylum.
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