Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish opposite number Recep Tayyip Erdogan were meeting on Monday to talk about restoring a crucial UN-brokered grain deal.

Moscow abandoned the deal, which created corridors for food exports amid a global food shortage, in early July. Russia complained that the West was blocking its own grain and fertilizer exports.

Why is the deal important?

The agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, had kept Ukrainian grain exports flowing since last summer, securing global supply chains.

Since Russia stepped back from the deal, Russia has launched a barrage of attacks on cereal stores and port infrastructure in Ukraine, one of the world’s largest grain suppliers. It has said it will regard vessels traveling to and from Ukrainian ports as potentially carrying military cargo and, therefore, legitimate targets.