The upcoming talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will largely determine the future of the grain deal, and the process will be monitored by the United Nations, a source involved in the negotiation process on the grain deal told Sputnik.
On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin's meeting with Erdogan would take place in the near future. Later, a diplomatic source in Ankara told Sputnik that the meeting between the two leaders would be held in early September, before the G20 summit.
"There are very high hopes for these negotiations, in many ways they will show clarity on the future [of the grain deal], all relevant departments [of Turkey] are working in this direction. The process is coordinated with the UN, they will also follow these negotiations. We very much hope that they will be held constructively and opportunities will be opened for the resumption of the work of our initiative," the source said.
The source added that Turkey and the United Nations are exploring opportunities for holding talks on the grain deal with the Russian delegation in Istanbul.
"We are now working on the possibilities of this meeting. We are preparing specific proposals for discussion. Contacts are made through the appropriate channels. The process does not stop," the source said.
Putin repeatedly pointed out that the West exported most of the Ukrainian grain to its own states, while the main goal of the deal - to supply grain to needy countries, including African countries - was never realized.