Turkey needs Russian cash, gas and business as Erdogan looks to a dicey election and a new incursion in Syria, while Moscow needs friends to try to evade Western sanctions.
For the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, a ship loaded with corn sailed out of Odesa, part of a deal officials hope will help ease food shortages around the world.
The departure of a grain-filled vessel from Odesa was hailed as a victory against global hunger. But experts say the crisis is so big that no single advance can reverse it.
Oleksiy Vadaturskyi, whose company built storage facilities and infrastructure necessary for exporting grain, was killed with his wife in a missile strike.
Farmers who have lived under the risk of Russian missile attacks have their doubts about an international agreement to ease a blockade on grain shipments through the Black Sea.