- More talks are needed on the grain corridor, Cavusoglu says
- Lavrov says Ukraine must demine its ports
- The global food crisis is threatened by a halt to grain exports from Ukraine
ANKARA, June 8 (Reuters) – Turkey’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that the UN plan to alleviate the global food crisis by restarting Ukraine’s grain exports along a maritime corridor was “reasonable” and called for more talks with Moscow and Kyiv. to ensure the safety of ships.
Speaking with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Turkish Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said their meeting in Ankara had been fruitful, including an alleged will to return to talks between Moscow and Kyiv on a possible ceasefire.
Lavrov said that the burden is on Ukraine to solve the problem of grain supplies by demining its Black Sea ports and that Russia should not take any action because it has already made the necessary commitments. Read more
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“We declare daily that we are ready to ensure the safety of ships leaving Ukrainian ports and heading to (Turkish waters), we are ready to do so in cooperation with our Turkish counterparts,” he said after talks with Cavusoglu.
Ukraine said it needed “effective security guarantees” before it could begin deliveries, expressing fears that Moscow could use the potential corridor to move to its southern port of Odessa.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 halted Black Sea grain exports from Kyiv, threatening a global food crisis. The UN has called on the two countries, as well as its maritime neighbor and NATO member Turkey, to agree on a corridor.
Moscow denies responsibility for the international food crisis, blaming Western sanctions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu attend a press conference during a meeting in Ankara, Turkey, June 8, 2022. REUTERS / Umit Bektas
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Any deal could include a Turkish naval escort for tankers leaving Odessa and other Ukrainian ports – currently blocked by the Russian navy – and heading for Turkish straits and world markets. Read more
Cavusoglu said he believed the world should work together to open a safe passage for Ukraine’s agricultural exports, and that Turkey saw Russia’s demands to lift restrictions on agricultural exports as “very legitimate”.
“Various ideas have been put on the market for the export of Ukrainian grain, and most recently the UN plan (including) a mechanism that can be established between the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey,” Cavusoglu said.
“We consider it reasonable,” he added. “Of course, both Ukraine and Russia must accept it.
Lavrov said the main problem was that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky “flatly refused” to solve the problem of mined ports.
Turkey, which has good relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, has previously said it is ready to take on a role in the Istanbul-based “monitoring mechanism” if a deal is reached.
Turkey has NATO’s second-largest army and a significant navy, but the head of Ukraine’s grain traders’ union said on Wednesday that Ankara was not powerful enough to act as a guarantor. Read more
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Additional report by Ezgi Erkoyun; Screenplay by Jonathan Spicer and Darren Butler; Edited by Tomasz Janowski
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