Istanbul, March 9 (IANS): Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky here to discuss the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the Turkish presidency said.

The two leaders addressed the latest developments about resuming the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has been suspended since last July, the office said on Friday on its website as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

"The latest status of contacts on the continuation of the initiative and the search for lasting peace in the region" topped the agenda of their meeting, according to the office.

The United Nations and Turkey brokered the initiative between Russia and Ukraine, establishing a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships transporting food and fertiliser exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports in July 2022.

According to the presidency, the two leaders convened at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul at 7 p.m. local time and held a press conference afterward.