ANAKARA, TURKEY — Turkish officials will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Turkey to discuss a new mechanism to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, Reuters reported.

Putin is to meet with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during the Russian leaders first visit to a NATO ally since invading Ukraine in February 2022.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there are efforts to find new methods for transporting Ukrainian grain to the world markets, Reuters reported.

Turkey has tried to convince Russia to return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which it left in July 2023. The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, provided safe passage to exports from Ukrainian ports.

Ukraine has found other methods to export grain, including a shipping corridor that runs along the coastline near Romania and Bulgaria.