The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for "concrete proposals from both sides" in order for Washington to "move forward" in peace negotiations.
"If they speak to each other in Russian, he doesn't know what they are saying," one Western official told NBC News. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, called Witkoff's approach "a very bad idea."
A vessel is seen in the port upon arriving under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Odesa, southern Ukraine. (Yulii Zozulia / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Russia opposes the prolongation of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported on July 17, citing the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
Moscow has notified Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Nations of its objection to the extension of the grain deal, the news agency wrote with reference to Zakharova.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed the agreement is no longer valid as Russia's demands have not been met, RIA Novosti reported.
"As the president of the Russian Federation (Vladimir Putin) said earlier, the deadline is July 17. Unfortunately, in the parts that concern Russia, these Black Sea agreements have not been implemented so far. Therefore, its effect is terminated," the agency said.
As soon as Russia's demands are met, it will return to the implementation of the deal, Peskov added.
On July 13, Putin claimed that none of Moscow's conditions for extending the grain deal had been met, according to the Russian state-controlled news agency Interfax. The Kremlin's demands focus on logistics, insurance, and money movement when paying for Russian products.
The UN has however agreed to assist Russia with the export of its food and fertilizer products and offered to broker an exemption of the Russian Agricultural Bank's subsidiary from the SWIFT payment system ban.
While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he reached an agreement with Putin on the grain deal extension, the Kremlin denied his statement.
The grain deal, brokered by Turkey and the UN in July 2022, has been essential in mitigating a global surge in food pricesby allowing Ukraine to export its agricultural products via the Black Sea.
The agreement has been prolonged several times, with the latest extension set to expire on July 17. The Kremlin has repeatedly threatened to pull back from the deal.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Anastasiya Gordiychuk
