President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the extension of the Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and told him that Türkiye continues to make efforts to ensure peace.

The two leaders spoke over the phone upon the request of Zelenskyy, the Presidency's Directorate of Communications said Friday.

Erdoğan told Zelenskyy that Türkiye will continue to strive to ensure peace, the directorate said.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative came to a halt after Russia announced that it would not extend the groundbreaking agreement unless its demands are met.

Earlier on Friday, Russia said a new grain deal with Türkiye might be possible if Moscow's demands were met, announcing works on new export routes after it pulled out of the Black Sea initiative earlier this week.

The deal, brokered by the United Nations and Türkiye, aimed to help prevent a global food crisis by allowing grain blocked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine to be safely exported from Black Sea ports.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin said Moscow was ready to explore options on grain exports, but that there were no current talks on an alternative to the Black Sea deal.