Türkiye to urge Vladimir Putin to revive Black Sea grain deal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he will speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin soon to urge Moscow to revive the Black Sea grain initiative, according to broadcaster Haberturk.

"Soon, we will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and tell him 'we must operate the (Black Sea) Grain Corridor no matter what.' God willing, by receiving a positive response from him, we can continue on our path," Erdogan told reporters on his flight returning from Budapest.

Russia in July withdrew from the deal - brokered by Türkiye and the United Nations - that allowed Ukraine to safely export grain from its Black Sea ports, saying the arrangement was not delivering grain to the poorest nations and that it still faces barriers to its own exports of grain and fertilizer.

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Moscow said on Sunday it had no interest in extending the deal.

Erdogan expects EU to 'stall' Ukraine and Sweden accession

Erdogan also believes the European Union would stall Ukraine and Moldova's accession to the EU, adding that Ankara had long earned the right to join the bloc but was being kept waiting for political reasons.

EU leaders agreed last week to open talks with Ukraine, while also starting talks with Moldova. But the bloc could not agree on a 50 billion euro ($54.8 billion) package of financial aid for Kyiv due to opposition from Hungary.

Speaking to reporters on a flight back from Hungary, Erdogan said Türkiye, which has been an EU candidate since 2005, had long earned the right to join the bloc but had been stalled over what he called political obstacles. 

"Giving them candidate status does not mean they will become EU members. A process will start with them, they will be stalled too. None of these countries are a Türkiye," Erdogan was cited as saying by his office. "It is wrong for Türkiye, which is more ready to join the EU than some member states, to be kept waiting at the door for years due to political obstacles."

Türkiye's bid to join the EU has been frozen for years due to EU concerns and differences over regional policies. However the bloc does collaborate with NATO member Türkiye, particularly on migration.

Erdogan's strategic visit to Hungary

Erdogan made a visit to Hungary on Monday - his second trip to the country in four months - in what was a significant diplomatic move as he seeks to fortify a long-standing relationship between the countries.

The Turkish President engaged in high-level meetings, with the visit coinciding with the 100th anniversary of their diplomatic ties. The Turkish leader was formally welcomed with military honors at the iconic Heroes' Square, before embarking on discussions with Hungarian President Katalin Novak.

A key part of the visit involved in-depth talks with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, where they deliberated on pressing regional and global concerns, focusing particularly on enhancing bilateral collaboration. High on the agenda were discussions about energy security and the contentious issue of Sweden's NATO membership, a topic on which both Hungary and Türkiye have yet to finalize their stance.

The visit also included a strategic session under the Turkish-Hungarian High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council, that is anticipated to lead to the signing of several important bilateral agreements. 

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