On Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke by phone about the continuation of the Black Sea grain contract.
“The leaders discussed in detail the extension of the Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement during the phone call held at the request of President Zelenskyy of Ukraine,” the Turkish Communications Directorate wrote on Twitter.
During the call, Erdogan emphasised Turkey’s “intense efforts” to keep the peace.
Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal earlier this week, claiming that the Russian portion of the accord had not been implemented.
The deal, first signed in July of last year in Istanbul by Turkey, the United Nations, Russia, and Ukraine, aimed at resuming grain shipments from Ukrainian ports that had been interrupted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, which began in February 2022.