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ANKARA. — Russia and Turkey voiced support on Wednesday for a safe corridor in the Black Sea to allow Ukrainian grain exports.
Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations are negotiating ways to resolve the issue of blocked grain supplies from Ukraine to ease the global food crisis. To that end, Turkey is ready to create a so-called grain hub in Istanbul.
Safe passage of ships is necessary for shipping grain of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin came up with several variants of solving the problem and expressed readiness to assist the process. However, Kiev insists that Russian troops should be withdrawn before the deliveries can begin.
Russia also demanded Ukraine remove mines from the Black Sea, and both Moscow and Ankara said the West should ease sanctions on Moscow to allow the export of Russian grains amid an escalating world food crisis. While food exports are technically exempt from the sanctions, Russia claims that restrictions on its ships and banks make it impossible to deliver to global markets.
Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, maize and sunflower oil, but Russia’s military operation and a blockade of its ports have halted much of that flow, endangering food supplies to many developing countries, especially in Africa. Many of those ports are now also heavily mined.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hosted his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Ankara on Wednesday for discussions focused on a United Nations proposal to free Odesa and Ukraine’s other Black Sea ports and allow 22 million tons of grain sitting in silos to be shipped out. Ukraine was not invited to the talks.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has been working on a package for weeks that would allow Ukraine to export wheat and other commodities from Odesa and enable Russia to export grain and fertiliser to global markets.
He told reporters Wednesday the package is essential, especially for millions of people in developing countries facing the threat of an unprecedented wave of hunger.
Guterres said saying anything more in public about the talks would “jeopardise the chances of success.” – TASS-AP
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