MOSCOW
\nRussian President Vladimir Putin could speak with Turkey\u2019s President Tayyip Erdogan at short notice if needed regarding the extension of the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as talks on the matter continue in Istanbul.
\nRussia has said it will not extend the pact beyond May 18 unless a list of demands is met to remove obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer exports.
\nTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday he thought the deal, which allows for the safe export of grain and fertilisers from three Ukrainian ports, could be extended for at least two more months.
\nAsked to say whether Putin and Erdogan might discuss the issue, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters there were no such plans at present but added: \u201cThey call each other up very quickly when needed.\u201d He declined to comment on the state of the talks while they are still in progress.
\nThe United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea export agreement last July to help tackle a global food crisis that has been worsened by Moscow\u2019s war in Ukraine.
\n Officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N. make up a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which implements the deal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MOSCOW Russian President Vladimir Putin could speak with Turkey\u2019s President Tayyip Erdogan at short notice if needed regarding the extension of the Ukraine Black Sea grain deal, the Kremlin said on Thursday, as talks on the matter continue in Istanbul. Russia has said it will not extend the pact beyond May 18 unless a list […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-330635","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n