Türkiye's Mediation in the Russia–Ukraine War and the Black Sea Grain Initiative

Why It Matters

Türkiye's mediation produced the only agreement of the Russia–Ukraine war that both belligerents signed and implemented at scale: the Black Sea Grain Initiative of 22 July 2022. Over about a year it let roughly 33 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs leave Ukrainian ports, and it helped bring down global food prices from their spring 2022 peak. Its collapse in July 2023 shows both what mediated, narrow-purpose deals can achieve and how fragile they are without a wider political settlement.

Background

The grain deal grew out of a global food-security emergency. Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Ukraine's Black Sea ports were blockaded or unusable, and Ukraine and Russia together account for a large share of world exports of wheat, maize, sunflower oil and fertilizer inputs. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Food Price Index reached a record high in March 2022.

Timeline of Türkiye's Diplomacy

The 2022 Antalya and Istanbul Talks

The Antalya meeting on 10 March 2022 was the first high-level contact between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers after the invasion. It produced no ceasefire, and Russian and Ukrainian accounts of what was agreed on humanitarian corridors differed. The Istanbul round of 29 March 2022 was the first direct delegation-level meeting held in Türkiye. Ukrainian negotiators outlined a framework involving neutrality in exchange for security guarantees, and Russia said afterwards that it would sharply reduce military activity around Kyiv and Chernihiv. A comprehensive text was never concluded, and the parties still dispute why the track stalled.

How the Grain Initiative Worked

The package signed in Istanbul on 22 July 2022 consisted of an initiative among Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine, and a separate memorandum of understanding between Russia and the UN on facilitating Russian food and fertilizer exports. The key mechanics were:

• Three ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi (Yuzhny).
• Joint Coordination Centre in Istanbul: officials from Türkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the UN agreed on vessel schedules and oversaw inspections.
• Inspection regime: ships were checked in Turkish waters to confirm that inbound vessels carried no weapons and outbound ships carried only agreed cargo.
• Safe passage: a designated maritime humanitarian corridor, with no attacks on participating ships or ports.

According to UN figures, the corridor carried about 33 million tonnes over more than 1,000 voyages. Ukraine's wheat, maize, sunflower products and other foodstuffs went to dozens of countries.

Prisoner Exchanges and Humanitarian Channels

Beyond grain, Türkiye has acted as a venue and facilitator for humanitarian exchanges. In May–July 2025, direct talks in Istanbul produced agreements on large exchanges of prisoners of war and the return of the remains of fallen soldiers, which the parties then carried out in stages. Earlier, in July 2023, Zelensky returned five Azov commanders from Türkiye after a meeting with Erdoğan, a step Moscow criticized as inconsistent with the arrangement under which they had been held there.

Why the Initiative Ended

Russia said on 17 July 2023 that it would not renew the deal, arguing that the part of the arrangement concerning its own agricultural exports remained unfulfilled. Moscow cited issues such as reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank (Rosselkhozbank) to the SWIFT payment system, shipping and insurance restrictions, and the stalled Togliatti–Odesa ammonia pipeline. The UN and EU responded that food and fertilizer were not targeted by sanctions and that they had worked to remove practical obstacles. Within days, Russia struck Ukrainian port infrastructure, and Russia's Defence Ministry said vessels heading to Ukrainian ports might be treated as potential carriers of military cargo. Ukraine opened its own temporary corridor in August 2023.

Key Players & Positions

Russia

Moscow's stated position, voiced by President Putin and the Foreign Ministry, is that the Black Sea deal was inseparable from the memorandum on Russian exports. It says it will return only if those commitments are implemented. Russian officials also argued that much of the grain went to wealthier countries rather than to the poorest importers.

Ukraine

Kyiv welcomed the initiative as essential for its economy and for global food security. President Zelensky and Ukrainian officials say Russia blockaded the ports in the first place and used the deal's expiry to resume attacks on Ukrainian grain infrastructure. Ukraine insists on the restoration of its territorial integrity as the basis of any peace and has stated that it will not accept settlements that legitimize territorial changes by force.

United Nations

Secretary-General Guterres described the initiative as a lifeline for global food markets and expressed regret when Russia left. The UN, which co-signed the arrangements and staffed the JCC, maintains that the deal and the parallel memorandum should have been treated as one package and has said it continued to work on Russian exports after July 2023.

European Union

The EU backed the initiative and, in parallel, built the "Solidarity Lanes" overland and river routes to move Ukrainian grain. Brussels states that its sanctions exempt food and fertilizer and accuses Russia of weaponizing food supplies. It considers the lapse of the deal a deliberate Russian choice.

Source Comparison

Readers should compare these accounts against primary documents: the text of the initiative and memorandum, UN statements, and MFA and Presidency releases. For the site's source method, see Editorial Principles and the Fact Check hub.

Key Terms & Related Guides

• Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI): the 22 July 2022 agreement among Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine that created a shipping corridor from three Ukrainian ports.
• Joint Coordination Centre (JCC): the Istanbul body that oversaw inspections and ship movements.
• Montreux Convention: the 1936 treaty regulating passage through the Turkish Straits; see the Montreux explainer.
• Solidarity Lanes: the EU's overland and river routes for Ukrainian exports.
• Balanced diplomacy: Ankara's term for maintaining dialogue with both Russia and Ukraine.

Related guides: Blue Homeland and the Eastern Mediterranean, Counter-Terrorism at the Source, About Crossroads Review, and the Crossroads Review FAQ.

Crossroads Review presents Türkiye's official perspective and legal positions alongside the facts it cites, and this stance is stated openly so readers can weigh the arguments. Claims are attributed to primary sources such as treaties, UN documents, official archives and court or commission records, and links are provided wherever possible.

By the Crossroads Review Editorial Team.

Cross-Publication Dossiers & Sister Desk Perspectives

For complementary primary-source analysis across our specialist editorial network, consult:

• Borders & Blocs: Türkiye's Mediation in the Russia–Ukraine War and the Black Sea Grain Initiative — Türkiye mediation in the Russia–Ukraine war explained: Antalya and Istanbul talks, Black Sea Grain Initiative, prisoner swaps, why it ended and its limits.
• The Political Accord: Russia–Ukraine Mediation and the Black Sea Grain Initiative: Türkiye's Diplomatic Record — How Türkiye hosted Russia–Ukraine talks, brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with the UN, and why it lapsed in 2023: a chronology of Istanbul diplomacy.
• Region Scope: Black Sea Grain Initiative and Türkiye's Russia–Ukraine Mediation: What Happened and Why — How the Black Sea Grain Initiative came about, who brokered it, what Türkiye's mediation role was, and where Russia–Ukraine talks stand after the deal lapsed.