Russian and Turkish foreign ministers discussed the situation in Ukraine and the Black Sea grain export agreement, which lifted a Russian de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports last year. Moscow threatened to quit the deal when it comes up for renewal on July 17, saying demands to facilitate sales of its own grain and fertiliser have not been met. Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan is pressing Russia to extend the deal, brokered last year by Ankara and the United Nations, by at least three months. The Russian ministry said the two sides had focused on recent developments around Ukraine, including Ankara's returning detained commanders of Ukraine's Azov unit, which defended a steelworks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol last year. The captured Azov commanders were released in a prisoner swap in September, under terms that required them to stay in Turkey until the war ends.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Turkey had violated agreements in permitting their release and had failed to notify Russia in advance. Ankara has not commented publicly about the decision to send the commanders home.
