The talks are scheduled to take place next Monday in Sochi, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed in a statement to the press. This meeting will take place in a Russian spa city located on the shores of the Black Sea.
In July, Russia made the decision to withdraw from the UN-backed agreement related to the safe navigation of civilian ships in the Black Sea. It is important to note that Turkey played an important role in negotiating this agreement. This Russian withdrawal, in effect, revoked the security guarantee for the navigation of civilian vessels in the Black Sea region.
The announcement of Russia’s withdrawal came shortly after Ukraine reported that two additional ships were using a temporary corridor set up by Kyiv to ensure safe shipping in the area.
The Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister, Oleksandr Kubrakov, reported through social networks that two ships were navigating this temporary corridor, which connects the Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea with the Bosphorus Strait.
It should be remembered that Kyiv announced the creation of this new maritime corridor in August in response to warnings from Moscow that ships leaving from Ukrainian ports could be considered military targets.
During a visit to Moscow, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stressed the importance of reviving the agreement that allowed the transport of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea. He stressed that this was essential to ensuring food security in the region.
In summary, the talks scheduled for Sochi are aimed at addressing Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement on navigation in the Black Sea, an issue of great importance for security and food security in the region.