ANKARA, August 21. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that he hopes to meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in September to discuss the grain deal.

"In September, a Group of Twenty meeting will be held in India and a UN General Assembly session - in the United States. If we find a possibility in this busy schedule, we will meet and speak with Mr. Putin one-on-one. Our goal is Russia’s positive attitude to the grain deal. Our foreign minister may soon visit Russia," the Anadolu news agency quoted him as saying.

According to the Turkish leader, the grain deal is among the topics he discusses with Putin over the phone. However, in his words, it is important to discuss it during offline meetings "because it is more effective to get results this way."

As for the probability of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev being mediated by Turkey, Erdogan noted that he "wants this and is making efforts to make this happen." "We discussed this topic comprehensively both during [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky’s visit and at the NATO summit. I would like the two leaders [of Russia and Ukraine] to find a solution with our mediation," he said,

The press service of the Turkish presidential office told TASS earlier that so far nothing concrete could be said about a potential in-person meeting between Erdogan and Putin. Meanwhile, a source in Ankara told TASS that Putin coming to Turkey was "improbable."