German chancellor has changed his stance, wants ‘common ground’ with Russia, says Turkish president

ANKARA (AA) - The German chancellor has changed his stance over Russia, saying that “we should find a common ground” with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the Turkish president said on Wednesday.

Recalling Tuesday's phone call with his German counterpart Olaf Scholz, Erdogan highlighted the importance of “personal relations,” to bring “the most important steps” in diplomacy.

“We talked about this (importance of personal relations) with Mr. Putin yesterday,” Erdogan said during a live interview jointly broadcast by ATV, A Haber, A News and A Para.

The Turkish president said that these calls show that the Russian president “is not someone who will take a step back” if you go against him.

His remarks came after Tuesday's phone call with Olaf Scholz in which they exchanged views on the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Germany’s chancellor appreciated Türkiye's efforts to maintain grain exports from Ukraine through the Black Sea Grain Initiative, a German spokesperson said.

On July 22, Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul to resume Black Sea grain exports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February.

On Saturday, Russia announced that it would suspend its participation in the deal for what it alleged was a Ukrainian attack on its Black Sea fleet at the port of Sevastopol.

Earlier on Wednesday, Türkiye and Russia announced Moscow's return to the implementation of the Black Sea grain deal following Ankara and the UN's mediation.