Putin to provide Turkiye with free grain, flour to send to African countries: Erdogan

On 8 January, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkiye is determined to send flour and grain to African states through the Black Sea corridor.

He added that the Russian President Vladimir Putin assured Ankara that Russia would be able to provide grain for free on the condition that it is delivered to underdeveloped countries in Africa.

Erdogan further disclosed that 44 percent of the total grain sent to Europe comes from Ukraine, adding that Turkiye is determined to increase its efforts to deliver grain to Africa via the Black Sea corridor.

Turkey has remained neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict yet affirms that Ankara does not recognize Moscow’s “annexation” of Ukrainian territories and is currently constructing a factory in Ukraine set to manufacture Bayraktar attack drones, used against Russian forces.

In November 2022, Putin considered Turkiye as a hub for delivering Russian gas, given Moscow’s complications in dealing with Europe following its operation in Ukraine and the destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

The Nord Stream gas leaks were a series of explosions and subsequent underwater gas leaks on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines on 26 September 2022.

According to Refinitiv, Turkiye increased its Russian oil imports to over 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) in 2022 compared to 98,000 bpd in 2021.

Despite Turkiye’s assistance with importing Russian products to the international community, Ankara obstructed oil shipments from Russia to Kazakhstan last month.

As of 2 December 2022, any tanker moved through the Bosphorus strait requires a letter from its insurance company before moving through Turkish-controlled waters.

This new requirement was implemented after the G7 member states decided on a $60 per barrel price cap for Russian oil. The insurance is proof of purchase equal to or below $6o per barrel, as Turkiye cannot use its traditional verification system to guarantee that cargo is covered by insurance.

The regulation includes any tanker carrying oil from the Black Sea and not just from Russia.