Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will have a telephone conversation about the Black Sea grain agreement, a Turkish source said.

An agreement to transport both Ukrainian and Russian-made goods across the Bosphorus expires on Thursday, and despite initial pressure from Moscow to improve terms in its favor, it looks like an extension will eventually be agreed.

A source in Ankara told Russian state news agency TASS on Wednesday morning that a phone call between Putin and Erdogan to discuss the issue was imminent.

“The possibility of their telephone conversations is not excluded, because, as you know, the term of the grain agreement expires tomorrow. It is vital to reach agreements on its extension,” the Turkish source said.

According to the same source, without the extension of the grain agreement, food prices on world markets will recover, without which they cannot be sustained. “If the grain deal is not extended, then food prices will rise again. Without the grain deal, which expires tomorrow, it will not be possible to limit them. Therefore, we, as Turkey, are waiting for its extension,” the source said.

On July 22, a package of documents was signed in Istanbul for the supply of food and fertilizers to the international market. Initially, the contracts were concluded for 120 days, and in November last year they were extended for the same period. On March 18, Russia announced an extension of the agreement for 60 days, warning that this time would be enough to assess the implementation of the memorandum signed with the UN.

However, the telephone conversation between Putin and Erdogan will not be able to help, but will have content related to the elections in Turkey, as the presidential election process leads to the second round for the first time. Recall that the Turkish opposition officially condemned the dissemination of false news against it by Russian circles.

Source: TASS