Erdogan, Putin Discuss Ukraine Grain Shipments, Syria During Meeting In Sochi

Less than three weeks after meeting in Tehran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi. Topping their agenda, was the grain shipments that resumed just days ago from Ukraine, as part of a deal Türkiye brokered late last month. Putin thanked President Erdogan for helping forge that agreement, which is allowing millions of tons of grain that was stuck in Ukraine, to reach global markets. The two leaders also touched on the situation in northern Syria, where Türkiye is planning its latest operation to establish a safe-zone along the border. Although supporting opposites sides in that conflict, Türkiye and Russia have worked together to stabalize areas in the north, where opposition fighters are holding out against Syrian regime forces. So will this latest meeting help bring Türkiye's operation closer and how will the two countries move forward when it comes to energy, and Ankara's mediation efforts in Ukraine? Guests: Sergei Markov Director at Institute on Political Studies Muhammet Kocak Foreign Policy Analyst