Sochi talks on reviving the Black Sea grain deal
A look back at the meeting between the presidents of Russia and Turkey over resuming grain shipments across the Black Sea.
What was on the table when the presidents of Russia and Turkey met in Sochi on 6 September 2023? The answer was the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the arrangement that had allowed grain to cross the Black Sea.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks in Sochi, Russia, to discuss bringing the initiative back and enabling the passage of grain by sea once more.
What the initiative was
The initiative was an agreement between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations. It was signed in Istanbul on 22 July 2022 for 120 days. It followed the February 2022 invasion, which had brought a complete halt to maritime grain shipments from Ukraine, previously a major exporter via the Black Sea. Russia had also temporarily halted its own grain exports. The result was a rise in world food prices, the threat of famine in lower-income countries, and accusations that Russia was weaponising food supplies.
The agreement set up procedures for exporting grain safely from certain ports. A joint coordination and inspection centre was established in Turkey, with the UN serving as secretariat.
Why the meeting mattered
Turkey had hosted the original talks, which began in April 2022 with UN support, and so its president's meeting with Putin fitted that earlier role. The Sochi talks put the question of restoring the mechanism directly to the Russian leader.
