Kyiv (Union)
The Turkish Foreign Minister announced that his country does not see an alternative to the grain export agreement previously signed by Ukraine and Russia under the auspices of the United Nations and with the mediation of Ankara. “We know that alternative methods are being considered (for transporting grain shipments), but we do not see an alternative to the first initiative because these methods involve risks,” Minister Hakan Fidan told reporters, yesterday, during a visit to Kiev.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in the capital, Kiev, yesterday, and they discussed the grain export agreement through the Black Sea, which Russia withdrew from last month. Zelensky wrote on “Telegram”: “We discussed many important issues, the Ukrainian peace formula, preparations for the global peace summit that Ukraine is preparing, and the dangers facing the grain corridor in the Black Sea.”
The Black Sea Agreement for the export of grains was signed in Istanbul in July 2022, between Russia and Ukraine, mediated by Turkey and the United Nations, to help address the global food crisis that has worsened since the start of the Ukrainian crisis in February of the same year, and was extended 3 times before Moscow suspended work on it on July 17. .
Moscow says that it will not return to the agreement unless its demands are met to facilitate the access of its exports of foodstuffs and fertilizers to global markets, while Western countries assert that Moscow did not face a problem in selling food commodities exempted from financial sanctions.
For its part, Kiev is looking for partners to be able to ship its exports again, including through the Black Sea.
The Turkish Foreign Minister also met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Kiev. And the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated, in a post on the “X” platform, yesterday, that Fidan met Shmyhal in the capital, Kiev.
For his part, Shmyhal said, in his post on the “X” platform, that he discussed with Fidan trade and economic cooperation and the reconstruction of Ukraine, expressing his gratitude to Turkey for its support for the peace formula proposed by President Zelensky and for its contribution to ensuring global food security.
In another context, the Kremlin announced yesterday that Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to hold talks personally with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the near future, according to Reuters news agency. This comes at a time when Ankara is trying to persuade Moscow to return to the agreement to export grain through the Black Sea.
In response to a question about Erdogan’s invitation to Putin to visit Turkey for discussions on the agreement and other urgent issues, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there was “an understanding to hold this meeting soon.”
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