The Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will soon visit the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi for possible talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin aimed at Moscow’s return to the agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain, Omer Celik, a spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), announced on Monday.

Turkey is trying to convince Russia to return to the agreement, to the achievement which in the summer of 2022 she herself had helped, and which allows grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to the Black Sea.

Moscow pulled out of the deal last month, protesting that it could not export its own grain and fertilizer, despite commitments made under the deal.

“Our president took the initiative (s.s. for talks on resuming the agreement)… to prevent a global food crisis. He will visit Sochi soon. We believe that there may be developments after this visit,” Celik said.

The Turkish official did not say whether Erdogan would meet Putin, but the Kremlin on Friday hinted at the possibility of a one-on-one meeting between the two leaders soon.