Putin And Erdogan To Meet In "Near Future"

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Erdogan have agreed to a meeting following a phone conversation today.

• Today, the two leaders discussed prospect of opening secure shipping routes for stranded Ukrainian grain.
• Turkish Anadolu news agency said Erdogan called on Putin to set up a Black Sea corridor for Ukrainian grain exports, per a UN plan.
• The Kremlin said in a statement following the call: "An exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine continued, including in the context of coordinating efforts to ensure the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and grain exports to global markets."
• Turkey continues to maintain relations with both Moscow and Washington. The last meeting between representatives from Russia and Ukraine were held in Istanbul in late March.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said at the start of June that Turkey is prepared to host four-way talks between Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, and a delegation from the United Nations but the prospects of talks between Ukraine and Russia remain remote.