Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, (right) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of a joint news conference following their meeting in Istanbul, Türkiye, on July 8, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

ISTANBUL – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called for extending the Black Sea Grain Initiative which expires on July 17.

"We are making efforts to extend the duration of the Black Sea grain deal," said Erdogan at a press conference in the Turkish city of Istanbul with his visiting Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, noting that almost 33 million tons of grain have been delivered to those in need under the deal.

This is Zelensky's first visit to Türkiye since the conflict broke out between his country and Russia in February 2022, but he has often spoken on the phone with Erdogan, whose country has been pushing for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Türkiye next month and that he will discuss the extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Putin face-to-face

The United Nations and Türkiye brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative with Russia and Ukraine to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports in July 2022.

As the agreement expires on July 17, Erdogan said, "We are working on how long we can extend this period after July 17," adding that poor African countries in particular are in desperate need of grain shipments from Ukraine.

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Erdogan noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit Türkiye next month and that he will discuss this issue with Putin face-to-face.

"We have made the most intensive efforts to bring the war between Russia and Ukraine to an end through negotiations on the basis of international law," said the Turkish president.

Zelensky said that Ukraine wants to implement a peace plan and that Türkiye is ready to assume leadership on this issue. "The well-being of the peoples in our region depends on us. We need to ensure this stability in the Black Sea region," he said.

Excavators work at a grain port in Izmail, Ukraine, April 26, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

The two presidents met on Friday night at the Vahdettin Palace on the Asian side of Istanbul.

"Finishing a busy day in Türkiye," Zelensky tweeted, followed by another tweet of an image of the two leaders shaking hands. "Coordination of positions on the peace formula, the NATO summit, security guarantees, and the grain initiative" were discussed, he said.

Reconstruction of Ukraine and defense contracts between Turkish and Ukrainian companies also figured high in his talks with Erdogan, Zelensky said.

READ MORE: UN chief calls for continuation of Black Sea grain deal

The visit also comes ahead of a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, next week, where Western leaders within the military alliance will meet on a range of topics, including Ukraine's membership bids.