© Reuters. Russian International Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a gathering of Russian President Vladimir Putin with delegation of African leaders to discuss about their proposal for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 17, 2023. Pavel Bednyako (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of Russia and Turkey spoke by mobile telephone on Sunday, a day after Ankara angered Moscow by sending five Ukrainian commanders dwelling with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in what Russia called a violation of a prisoner exchange settlement.
The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries acknowledged Sergei Lavrov and Hakan Fidan talked about the self-discipline in Ukraine, apart from a Sunless Sea grain export settlement that lifted a Russian de facto blockade of Ukrainian ports absolute top three hundred and sixty five days.
Moscow has threatened to quit the grain export deal when it comes up for renewal on July 17, asserting calls for to facilitate gross sales of its possess grain and fertiliser get now not been met.
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan acknowledged on Saturday that he used to be pressing Russia to prolong the deal, brokered absolute top three hundred and sixty five days by Ankara and the United Nations, by no lower than three months.
The Russian ministry acknowledged the two sides had bright about most up-to-date traits spherical Ukraine, alongside side Ankara’s returning detained commanders of Ukraine’s Azov unit, which defended a steelworks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol absolute top three hundred and sixty five days.
Russia captured the city absolute top three hundred and sixty five days after laying it to break, killing hundreds of civilians in a 3-month siege. The Azov unit led the city’s defence, preserving out in the steelworks for weeks till they were ordered by Kyiv to renounce.
The captured Azov commanders, lionized as heroes in Ukraine and vilified in Russia, were launched in a prisoner swap in September, below terms that required them to conclude in Turkey till the battle ends. Zelenskiy brought them dwelling on Saturday after a discuss about with to Turkey.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged on Saturday that Turkey had violated agreements in permitting their unlock, and had didn’t converse Russia upfront.
Ankara has now not commented publicly about the choice to ship them dwelling. Turkey’s presidency and foreign ministry did now not answer to Reuters requests for verbalize.
