Turkish and Russian presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin discussed a grain deal.

According to the Turkish presidential administration's communications department, during their telephone conversation, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and regional processes with a focus on the grain deal. rdoğan thanked the Russian president for his constructive position on extending the grain initiative by 120 days.

The prolongation of the war between Russia and Ukraine increases the risks and therefore it is important to resume diplomatic negotiations.  Erdogan called the meeting of the heads of U.S. and Russian special services in Turkey the key to prevent uncontrolled escalation on the ground.

He also expressed satisfaction with the Russian leader's proposal to create a gas hub in Turkey. According to him, working groups will soon hold active discussions on the issue, considering technical, legal and commercial aspects.