ISTANBUL, August 21. /TASS/. Turkey will continue efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis and resume the grain deal, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said in an address to the nation following a cabinet meeting. The address was broadcast by the TRT channel.

"We will make efforts to reopen the grain corridor on fair conditions, which will meet the expectations of all parties, as we believe that a fairer world is possible. We will also actively work towards the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict," Erdogan said.

He stated that Turkey is "the only country that is making efforts to end the war in Ukraine." "We will do our best to keep hopes for peace growing," the Turkish leader added.

Earlier on Monday, Erdogan said he hoped to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in September and that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan could visit Russia in the coming days to prepare negotiations with him.

About the grain deal

On July 17, Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal, which was originally concluded in Istanbul in July 2022 and had provided for the safe export of Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea as well as the creation of conditions for Russia to export its agricultural products and fertilizers. Moscow said that its withdrawal was driven by the other parties’ failure to fulfill their obligations under the provisions of the Istanbul agreements that were supposed to have green-lighted supplies of Russian agribusiness products to world markets.

Later, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that, due to the termination of the grain deal, effective at midnight Moscow time on July 20, Russia would regard all ships destined for Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea as carriers of military cargo, and accordingly the flag countries of such ships would be deemed as parties to the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Kiev. The ministry also reported that a number of sea areas in the northwestern and southeastern parts of the international waters of the Black Sea have been declared temporarily hazardous for navigation.

On August 10, Ukraine announced temporary corridors in the Black Sea for merchant ships sailing to or from the ports of Chernomorsk, Odessa and Yuzhny.