Erdogan Reportedly Plans to Offer Putin Talks With Zelensky to Resolve Ukraine Crisis

© Sputnik / POOL / Go to the mediabankRussian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Sochi, Russia on Friday August 5, 2022.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan meet in Sochi, Russia on Friday August 5, 2022. - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.09.2022
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ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will again try to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, to negotiate a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis, during the forthcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Turkish media reported.
Erdogan will meet with Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit in the Uzbek city of Samarkand from September 15-16. Th talks between two leaders will focus on the situation in Ukraine, Turkish newspaper Hurriyet reported. During the meeting, Erdogan plans to stress Ankara's intention to make further efforts to end the hostilities and achieve a sustainable ceasefire through mediation initiatives, according to the media outlet.
The parties will also discuss the functioning of the "grain corridor," the newspaper reported. Erdogan will ask Russia to send its goods through a maritime corridor coordinated by Turkey after Putin's statement that almost all the grain exported from Ukraine was sent not to developing countries, but to the European Union, with two ships out of 87 reaching countries in need.
In addition, the agenda of the negotiations is expected to include a possible Turkish anti-terrorist military operation in Syria announced by Erdogan in late June.
© AP Photo / Efrem LukatskyUkrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer
Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer - Sputnik International, 1920, 12.09.2022
Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions from a U.S.-supplied M777 howitzer
Addressing the possibility of talks between Putin and Zelensky, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously stressed that there are no such prospects at the moment.
At the same time, Deputy Head of the Russian Security Council and ex-President Dmitry Medvedev slammed Zelensky for stating he is not ready for negotiation, adding that Russia may demand a full capitulation of the Ukrainian regime in the future.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. The West has responded by imposing comprehensive sanctions against Russia. The military operation itself and subsequent disruptions in logistical and financial operations have undermined supply chains and contributed to a spike in food prices worldwide. Heads of government and international organizations have raised concerns over a large-scale food crisis.
On July 22, Ukrainian and Russian representatives signed a deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations in Istanbul. The series of documents lifted restrictions on supplies of Russian products for export and provided for Moscow's assistance in exporting Ukrainian grain.
Speaking at a plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum on September 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that almost all grain exported from Ukraine was sent not to the countries in need, but to EU member states. According to the Russian leader, restrictions on the mechanism are worth discussing with Erdogan.
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